For the Love of the Game
by Marie Allen
Summary: Helga and Arnold are reunited in high school after a brief period of separation. They journey together through adolescence and adulthood, enduring the bad and cherishing the good.
1. Changes

**AN:**

**This story will be a series of one-shots but will all be part of one story. Some chapters will be in third person POV, others will be in first. Some times you just can't fight the voices!**

* * *

_FIFTH GRADE  
_

* * *

The cold night wind bit at his bruised face. His eye throbbed as blood rushed to the broken vessels, trying to heal themselves. He could barely see anything, it was so swollen shut.

What seemed like the millionth punch to his gut, winded him; a cough of air forced out as he tried to gasp for breath.

"You little punk! Don't you ever talk to her again, you got it?"

Blood spat on the ground. He couldn't speak again if he wanted to. Then there was laughter. He knew that another punch was coming when, out of his good eye, he could see the large arm swing backwards.

He braced himself, tightening his eye shut. But instead of horrible pain, he felt the body of one of his attackers fall against him, crying out, and falling to the ground with a thud.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you assholes are doing?" Knowing this voice, he opened his eye and looked down at the large 9th grader at his feet. Blinking, he looked up at the laughter of the second attacker, completing ignoring his fallen comrade on the ground.

"Look, Gol-" he was cut off short when a baseball bat came flying at him. Completely unprepared, even though the same thing had just happened to his still-crying buddy, he too fell to the ground like a lump. Both boys laid there in shock and pain, crying that their arms had been broken.

The bat came down hard again at the obvious ring-leader. "Get the hell out of here before I call the cops!" Adrenaline jumped them to their feet and they took off, insults weakly flying behind them.

The bat fell to the ground and all the boy could do was blink. The pain mixed with complete shock of knowing who had rescued him kept him to his knees. "Are you ok?" Her voice was soft, full of concern. He blinked again. Was this for real? "C'mon, we gotta get you up." As gently as she could, Helga slipped her arm around his waist, picking up the just-discarded baseball bat as leverage.

"What are you doing?" was his meek reply. Was this for real?

"Getting you home. You may have to get to the hospital. Is your family home?"

He didn't know, and didn't answer. The whole two blocks to his front stoop were the longest two blocks of his life. Everything hurt. He just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. He was so tired.

Only when the front door of his house slammed open did he realize that he was finally home. Strong arms picked him up and he was carried to the front couch. There was a yell, a scream, and a commotion. He flinched.

Blinking again, he looked up and saw his rescuer standing to the side, talking to his father. She caught his eye and walked over to him, obviously done with her side of what happened. Flipping the baseball bat onto her shoulder, she smirked down at him.

"Helga…Thank you…"

"Thank me when I beat you on the field next week, Tall Hair Boy. But, ya know, I still gotta keep up my reputation and all, so…let's just keep this between us, OK? I mean, we don't want everyone to think that Helga G. Pataki is some sort of vigilante or anything."

* * *

That fateful night had been a huge changing block in their lives, even if it wasn't immediately obvious. Gerald was out of school for the rest of the week that year in fifth grade. Rumors flew around school on what had happened. He got caught stealing drugs from the mafia. Fuzzy Slippers found out that he was selling secrets to the police. He had been kidnapped by the circus.

The truth was that Gerald happened to lay his smooth charms on the wrong 7th grader. Turned out the girl was dating a _freshman_. Word got back to him really quick at the arcade, and the boyfriend and his goon chased Gerald down the street before catching up with him.

"Love isn't easy, my man. You think Casanova had smooth sailings at first? I tell ya, she was worth every bruise." Gerald didn't elaborate much more on it and, even though he desperately wanted to tell his best friend that the guys hadn't just left him in the alley, that Helga freaking Pataki had not only stood up for him, but beat the snot out of this creeps. And probably saved him from even more unimaginable pain and possibly broken bones.

Yet, out of respect for Helga, he didn't tell him. Or anyone. But the following Monday, when he wasn't surrounded by his classmates on the playground, elaborating on his ordeal, he didn't receive one glare or snide remark from the pig-tailed girl.

And the following week, he shocked his best friend when he gave her the last tapioca pudding during lunch. His response was just a shrug. Being a gentleman impressed the ladies.

Then Rhonda's end-of-the-year party commenced. Like always, Helga and Phoebe showed up together. Gerald and Arnold had arrived about fifteen minutes earlier and even they felt they were late. Each year there were more and more kids that showed up to these parties, from various walks of life. Gerald knew that one day Rhonda would probably stop inviting kids from PS118, but until then, he was glad to meet other women that he normally would never have had the pleasure.

Arnold was off somewhere, probably trying his luck at the dance floor, when he spotted Helga sitting alone. He looked around for a moment, wondering where her main girl was, before spotting Phoebe talking to Peapod. With a shrug, he picked up two cups of punch and walked over to her.

"Thirsty?" Helga looked up at him, her arms crossed over her chest and her right leg folded over her knee, and scowled. It wasn't the same mean scowl that he had seen so many times on her. It was definitely softer. She took it.

"Thanks, Tall Hair Boy." She took a sip.

"So, any plans for the summer?" Her response was a raised eyebrow.

"Are you trying to start a conversation with me, Geraldo? Because your chances of trying to catch any girls are going to suck the longer you're here." She smirked and stood, getting ready to walk away.

He shrugged. "Class bully or not, you're a girl too. And I made it my mission to talk to all of them at this party." He grinned at her, wigging his eyebrows. He was momentarily taken aback when he saw a real, genuine smile from her.

Did he just see that?

"Smooth."

"As jazz, baby!"

When she laughed, he stared at her. Now he was freaked out.

"You're lucky no one is around to hear you call me that, or else you'd have just been kissed by Ol' Betsy." She made a fist to emphasize her empty threat. The truth was, no matter how much she harassed Arnold or anyone else in their class, he didn't really feel that she was serious.

Yes, he had first-hand experience seeing her wrath and just how violent she really could be, but there was just something about it that he wasn't really afraid of anymore.

"So, summer. You guys going camping again?"

"Nah. Nothing like that." Her shoulders slumped a little and she looked at her cup. Obviously something was on her mind. "Actually, I may be moving."

He stared at her for a moment. "Say what? You guys are moving?"

"I'm pretty sure I just said that, Geraldo," she scowled.

Gerald was completely lost. "Come again?"

Helga sighed and stood up to lean against the wall. "Bob's opening up shop in Kentucky so Miriam and I are moving out there to set some things up. Apparently he thinks he can buy some horses and breed them or some stupid idea like that."

If it wasn't for the fact that she looked so lost, he wouldn't have believed her. Here he was, having his first actual conversation with the girl who made his best friend's life a living hell for as long as he could remember, the girl who saved him just a few months ago, and she was nonchalantly telling him that she was moving. To Kentucky!

He just stared.

The scowl deepened and snapped at him. "What?"

"Is this for real?"

"Of course it is, Tall Hair Boy!" she snapped again. "Criminy, you think I'd make up a story like that?"

"To Kentucky."

"Doi! What, did those high schoolers knock you too hard in the head? Yes, to Kentucky! Sheesh, how else can I get it through your thick skull." She was silent for a moment. "But don't tell anyone. I haven't said anything to anyone yet, except Phoebe."

This took him by surprise. Another secret? "Why not?"

"I dunno, I guess I just don't care if anyone knows." Or see everyone celebrate when she leaves. Deep down, she cared what people thought of her, especially the kids she grew up with. She didn't want to break the illusion that they were somewhat her friends.

When Arnold walked up to them, Gerald missed Helga's change in stance and the way she stood a bit straighter.

"What's going on? Hey Helga." He eyed Gerald for a moment before looking at his tormenter, completely unsure of what was going on. Was Gerald really over here, talking to Helga of all people? Didn't Gerald hate her?

"Geeze, Football Head, is this some sort of interrogation? I'm not allowed to talk to anyone without your permission? Sheesh, I'm outta here." Helga squeezed her empty punch cup and tossed it in a bin, but not before shooting Gerald a _tell-anyone-and-you're-dead_ look.

Gerald was a bit surprised, though. What set her off like that? That Helga was one unpredictable, mood-swinging chick.

Arnold just sighed and looked up at Gerald. Some things will never change.

* * *

Gerald didn't talk to Helga the rest of that night. In fact, he didn't see her again until four days later for the first game of summer at Gerald's Field. The day went fast and Helga was even meaner than normal. Even when she was winning, she insulted her teammates for being too slow.

As they were shutting down for the day, Helga was currently ripping into Curly. "Geeze, what's eatin' her?" he asked to no one in particular. But Phoebe was listening. She only sniffled. When Gerald looked over at her, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

Phoebe just sniffed again and squeaked a response, just staring at Helga. "Nothing." Gerald looked between her and Helga before realization dawned on him. He lowered his head towards her and hushed his voice, not wanting to be too loud.

"Is it because she's leaving?" Phoebe shot her head up so fast that she almost connected with Gerald's nose. Her eyes were wide and glassy.

"W-what?"

"Helga told me that she's moving."

Without warning, tears started to spill from Phoebe's eyes and she nodded frantically. "Today's her last day." She didn't question him on why Helga told him, it was just a relief that someone else knew about it. It had been slowly killing her inside these last few months, her being the only one who knew about the Patakis' move.

Gerald, completely uncomfortable and not sure what to do, laid his hand on her shoulder and started to lead her away from the field. She probably wouldn't want all of their friends coming up to her asking what's wrong. "I'm sorry. But I'm sure that she'll visit." Phoebe covered her face with her hands, starting to cry freely once they were slightly protected by the large building. "And hey! You can still write. You can be like pen pals." She just shook her head and started to cry harder.

He shifted on his feet. What was he supposed to do? Whenever Timberly cried, it was because he wouldn't do something for her or her toy broke. This was a lot more serious than that.

"What's going on?" Gerald looked over his shoulder, his hand still on Pheobe's shoulder, attempting to comfort her, and saw Arnold standing there.

"Uh…"

"Move it, Football Head!" Helga roughly shouldered Arnold and went up to Phoebe, who immediately wrapped her arms around her. Helga visibly slumped and hugged Phoebe back after dropping her catcher's equipment. Her own stomach started to flip as her eyes misted, but she refused to do this in front of Arnold. "Ah, Pheebs…"

Picking up her equipment with her left hand, she squeezed Phoebe's shoulders with her right arm and started to walk towards Helga's house. Before they got too far, she looked over at Gerald, her eyes still misting, "Thanks, Gerald. I owe you."

Arnold looked after them, completely stunned at what he was witnessing. "Did she just call you Gerald?"

Gerald just stayed silent, watching them go. "I guess Helga has a soft side after all." Neither he nor Arnold saw Helga again before she moved away the following morning.


	2. Family

_MIDDLE SCHOOL_

* * *

Life was so different in Lexington. It had a noticeable effect on the Patakis within just a few months. The people here were more laid back and chill, but were still able to function in a big city. Well, as big of a city that Kentucky could have.

The city itself had a suburb area that was separated from downtown. There were no fast highways that could quickly take you from home to work. At first, Bob freaked out over this and thought speeding and weaving was a better choice. Then he got into a wreck.

It was like he got hit in the head or something. After that wreck, Bob chilled. He learned to accept the people that were living there and they began to rub off of him. It wasn't immediate, but over the course of the first year, Bob didn't yell as much and was less of a dictator. Sure he still couldn't get Helga's name right and he was still a blowhard during that sixth grade year but he was much more relaxed.

And that definitely began to rub off onto the family.

Because Bob was chill, Miriam was able to talk to him: to communicate. Which meant she was laying off the booze. When Helga started the eighth grade, Bob even hired Miriam to work in the store as a salesperson. She had been able to convince him that she needed to contribute more to the family. And if he needed more salespeople, why would he pay someone else to do it when it could come right back into their own bank accounts?

Helga still had a lot of emotions bottled up inside, but with her deepest desire of her family actually acting like a family, it began to chip at that anger, revealing fresh, raw feelings that she had never let out before. She was still young enough to not want to give up on her parents. But she was still Hegla G. Pataki with an image to uphold. Whenever they talked about "family nights", where Bob wasn't glued to the TV and Miriam wasn't latched onto her smoothies, she laughed at them. Really, the Patakis sitting at the table without fighting, playing a board game? Yeah right!

But she eventually gave in. And Tuesday nights were always family nights. These nights became important to the Patakis. Bob said Helga's name right for the first time in three consecutive tries during a game of Risk. And when she beat him at Poker for the first time, taking the twenty-dollar pot, he told her he was proud of her. It still shook Helga.

During her first year at Beaumont Middle School, Helga took it upon herself to keep up her reputation there as she did at PS 118. The only difference was that she didn't have a reputation here. No one knew to be afraid of Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers. No one knew that she was the meanest, baddest girl that they'd ever, or would ever, meet.

For the first few months, she worked on rebuilding who she was, establishing herself as the school bully. Or, at least, she tried. Kids here just weren't as intimated by her. Maybe it was because she was a girl or maybe because the kids had better things to do than worry about staying after school to get beaten up.

It was actually Angela, a girl in a few of her classes, who actually helped Helga turn over a new leaf. In English class, they had been assigned to writing an essay on their elementary school life and what they expected Beaumont Middle School to be like. It was one of the hardest things Helga had ever written. She opened herself up as if it was one of her personal diaries. Words flowed freely and for the first time, she was able to let go of so many things.

Helga had liked this English teacher. She was different from Mr. Simmons and fifth grade's Ms. Walker from PS 118. She was your typical English and Drama geek. Animated and dramatic. It annoyed Helga at first, but she came around. She reminded Helga of herself. Only more exasperatingly perky and peppy and happy-go-lucky. Actually, the only thing she saw of herself in the teacher was her love of poetry and theatrics.

Until this one particular day when stupid Ms. Black read an excerpt of Helga's soul-revealing essay, baring her feelings of love and fear and anger out to her entire English class. Helga had been horrified when Ms. Black announced she was going to read from Helga's paper and was absolutely mortified when she read almost an entire page of it.

The day had already started badly enough and, for the first time in her young life, Helga was not able to retaliate in anger. She wanted to tell her off, but she couldn't move. She just sat there as the words slammed into her like needles in a pincushion, over and over. How could she do this to her?

Then her face felt wet. With humiliation and in shame, Helga had raced out of the room and into the nearest girl's bathroom, not caring that she didn't have a pass. How dare that foul, rotten, incompetent, miserable, putrid excuse of a woman do this to her? How dare she bare out Helga like that to everyone? Those were supposed to be for only her eyes and for Helga's! No one else's. No one was supposed to know that side of her.

The doors to the bathroom opened as Helga kicked and screamed at the trashcan. If only it was Ms. Black's face.

"Helga." Helga looked up, momentarily startled. She hadn't heard anyone come in and was alarmed to see Angela. Angela was one of the ones Helga picked on the most and she was no doubt here to make fun of her. "That was really horrible of Ms. Black do that to you."

Helga could only stare at the brunette who reminded her so much of Rhonda, with her fancy clothes and manicured nails.

Angela hugged her then, not really expecting much, but happy to feel Helga relax. She didn't hug her back, but Angela wasn't holding her breath that she would.

After that day, Helga had found her first friend at Beaumont Middle School.

Of course, she was no Phoebe. It always amazed Helga how the two of them were able to stay in touch as much as they did. At one point, the every-other-day calls dwindled to once or twice every two weeks. But, it was seventh grade when Phoebe's parents got her a cell phone. Until then, Helga had zero interest. But, because Bob's Beepers had evolved into Bob's Electronics shortly after they settled in Lexington, all she had to do was pick out the one she wanted. It was the latest Nokia model, the kind that had a flip cover to hide the keys. She was the only one at the school who had one like it. Even Angela was a bit jealous and a few weeks later she came to school with the same one. Full of stickers, though, of course. To express her individuality.

After that, she and Phoebe were always texting. Back then, when no one had a phone except very few of your friends, it was the coolest thing in the world. Especially when your best friend was over 2,000 miles away.

But even with the distance, and the sometimes too-long break between their heart-to-heart chats, Helga loved Phoebe more every day. Angela may have been her best friend in Lexington, but Phoebe was her best friend for life.

The Hyderahl's visited Lexington during the summer before eighth grade. Although Phoebe's family lived in Louisville and further south, Lexington was just a short drive away. There were able to hang out for three whole days. They were the best three days of that summer.

Helga had initially been hesitant to introduce Phoebe and Angela, since Angela saw green in the most random of times when it came to other friends, but they had really hit it off. It only made it harder to say goodbye to Phoebe when it was time to go.

So when her father announced that they were done here in Lexington and moving back to Hillwood to further expand the market there (or probably because he gave up on horse breeding), Helga was ecstatic. She would miss Lexington, all the green and horses and friendly people, and her friends, but she was a city girl at heart. Which meant she yearned for the hustle and bustle of life. She missed the Pacific Ocean, the boardwalk, the food; _choices._ Here, there were only one or two places you could go to get what you needed. In Hillwood City, you had malls, tons of stores, _options._

Because Lexington was starting to become a warehouse-central location, Bob had decided to take a risk and open an online store. It was before the bubble burst so it was the latest business leap. If anyone was anyone they had an online store. Bob's Electronics had gone viral.

Business was going great in Lexington, and she only let herself absently wonder if her family would go to the way they were before once they returned to Hillwood, but she didn't want to think about that. Surely not. Not after, for the last two years, things were finally how they should have been all of her life.

Miriam would stay in Lexington for six months and she and Bob would get re-settled in Hillwood. Helga had been surprised to hear that Bob would play housekeeper for six months but she didn't complain. They were moving just before SummerSlam and, coincidentally, it would be held in Hillwood. She and her dad had bonded over wrestling and watched it together as often as they could. If Bob had to work late, Helga taped it for him and she would wait to watch it. They were looking forward to SumerSlam and, unbeknownst to her, Bob had purchased the tickets months ago when they first went on sale.

Apparently he had been planning on moving back to Hillwood for almost a year now.

She was sitting next to him on the plane, looking out through the window as they made their descent into Hillwood City. Phoebe was the only one she kept in touch with and while she did talk about some of their old friends, Phoebe had moved on to other friends. And next year, when they started high school, it would be an even bigger separation.

Would they still be friends? Would Phoebe ditch her to hang out with the Math Club and Chess Club? Meh, even if she did, it wasn't like Helga wasn't planning on joining her own extra circular activities. She was going to try out for the baseball team and join dance. She loved both so why not? And really, their friendship had survived over three years and 2,000 miles apart. Surely a couple of different interests wouldn't be their break.

As the plane landed on Washington soil, Helga smiled. She couldn't wait to get home.


	3. Reunited

_FRESHMAN, HIGH SCHOOL_

* * *

Helga had been back for three months before the school year started in September. During that time, she and Bob settled into their new home. It was bittersweet moving back into Hillwood and not being at her childhood home, but she was glad for it. When they left that place, they left their old life, full of hurt, anger, and bitterness. Nothing good happened in that house.

Lexington had been a threshold, an in-between time for the Patakis. Here, in this new home in their old city, was truly, Helga felt, the beginning of their new lives.

Phoebe, the ever wonderful, faithful Phoebe, had been waiting for her at the airport. Bob, not wanting to do anything out of style, had ordered a limo to pick them up. Oh, how good it was to see her again. And how much she had changed! Phoebe was still skinny as a rake and lanky. Her face had thinned out and she was growing out her hair. Puberty was never nice to any kid, but Helga knew that Phoebe was really going to be a looker. She would have to beat back all the boys in high school, no doubt.

And beat them back she would. Over the years, she had learned to control her anger. Instead of lashing out at everyone and everything that passed by, she focused it through sports. She played soccer, basketball, lacrosse and anything else she could sign up for that would take her in. During the summer before eighth grade, she joined Angela in some pre-teen group and went hiking in the mountains in the south of Kentucky. That had been a blast. Her true love, though, was baseball. When she found out that they were moving back to Hillwood, one of the first things she asked Phoebe is if Hillwood City High had a softball team.

Of course they did.

So until she could find some outside-of-school league for teenagers, she'd probably play basketball in the winter. And, of course, dance in the fall. And, if it fit in the schedule, for the rest of the year too.

So while sports were her outlet for her anger, poetry, writing, and dancing were her creative outlets. It was a good balance for her. Whenever she felt her anger getting too out of hand, she fled to the local youth rec center and picked up some boxing gloves. Then she'd go to one of parks and pour her feelings out into stories or poems. By the time she cooled down, she was able to go back home and face her parents for whatever reason that had pissed her off to begin with.

Because Phoebe didn't really keep in touch with any of the kids who went to PS 118, she didn't really see anyone she knew during the summer. Instead, she met Phoebe's new friends. They seemed nice enough, but were kind of cookie-cut from the same mold. There were three of them, Josie, Joel, and Jessica or the Triple Js as Helga liked to call them. She never saw the three of them separated. Either they all were together or they weren't around at all.

It was kind of creepy. Maybe they were some sort of aliens, trying to suck the intelligence from Phoebe. Her friend had just rolled her eyes at her when Helga mentioned it the day before school started. "I'm serious, Pheebs. They all have black hair, kind of a bowl cut, and they all wear glasses." Helga was sitting on Phoebe's bed, absently throwing a baseball in the air as Phoebe was drying her freshly-painted toenails. Since when had she turned so girly?

"What's wrong with wearing glasses?" Phoebe eyed her, knowing that Helga hadn't truly meant anything from it.

"Oh, c'mon. Like you haven't thought the same thing."

Phoebe only smiled and shook her head. "No, but now that you mention it, I do see where you're coming from." They were silent for a moment. "So are you nervous about your first day back?"

"What are you talking about? I've been back for three months!"

Phoebe shot her a look. "You know what I mean."

Helga just shook her head. "Nah. I mean, why would I be? I didn't really talk to anyone except for you when I left. I doubt anyone really remembers me anyway."

"Oh, Helga, don't say that. I'm sure everyone remembers you. But you're right. It's unlikely you'll be in many classes with anyone, anyway. Except for me, of course," Phone ended with a grin. They had been ecstatic to find out that they were in the same Biology, Math, and PE classes. What luck!

"Yeah, I'm surprised that I got into the same math class as you. I didn't think I'd do it, but hey, what'd ya know?" Helga continued to toss the baseball up in the air.

"Are you nervous about seeing Arnold?"

Luckily, she hadn't yet thrown the ball in the air when she asked the question. Helga looked at her, startled. "Geeze, you just came out and said it!" Arnold's name hadn't been brought up once during her time back.

When Helga had first left, her heart had been broken. She cried herself to sleep often and was only plummeting down deeper into despair. Everything was still boxed up, unwilling to admit just how much she needed him, despite her nightly tears. All of her journals, her poems; everything that reminded her of him laid deep in her closet. But then there was that fateful day when Ms. Black had read her essay aloud, where she told everyone in her class about her unrequited love, it kind of snapped her out of it.

She had started to hang out with Angela and, since she already knew at least something about Arnold, Helga had told her everything. It felt good to get it off of her chest. Such a small amount of people knew about her love for the football-headed kid. Angela didn't judge and gave fantastic advice. Perhaps Arnold was only an illusion. Perhaps she was just projecting her betrayal and neglect from her family onto the boy. Besides the stalking, did she really _know_ Arnold at all? How could she think she was in love with someone who she couldn't possibly really know? Angela seemed way too astute for her age, but she was probably right. Helga accepted it. One night, everything but her books had been burned or tossed out. It was the first night her pillow remained dry.

Then she began to heal.

But it wasn't just her that was able to let things go. Not being around in such an angry city helped her family become a unit, just as not being around Arnold made her figure out who she was. The essay was proof of that. Her entire life, her entire existence was because of Arnold. She lived and breathed because he lived and breathed. She was horrible to him because she didn't want him or anyone else to know that she was deeply, utterly in love with him.

The pain had eventually subsided after a year in Lexington and she could move on with her life and be Helga for the first time. The athlete. The dancer. The poet. The writer. And so many other things she had yet to find out.

But then the first letter came. It had been so unexpected, Helga wasn't sure what to make of it. So she ignored it and left it in her drawer, unopened. And then a second one came a couple of days later. _Arnold_ was writing to her. How had he even gotten her address? Phoebe hadn't mentioned it and there's no way she could have double-crossed her like that.

"No, not really." Helga sighed and rested the ball on her chest. "Well, maybe a little. But it's been three years. I'm not the same kid in love with him anymore. And he's changed too." Helga had called Phoebe the day the second letter came, freaking out. What was he doing? Why was he contacting her? And why were they coming from South America?

"Yes, I'm sure he has. At least, from what you've been saying."

It turned out that shortly after Helga moved away, Arnold's parents had been found. They had been kept hostage in some sort of POW camp and needed to be questioned and quarantined before allowed back in the States.

The ass that had kidnapped them had been a huge international smuggler and war criminal. They had been locked up for almost 8 years. It had been a miracle that they had survived at all, let alone still have sanity on their side. Arnold had gone down to be with them for a couple of months, until they were cleared by the American government. That's when he began writing to her.

Helga lifted an eyebrow at that. "Besides, I doubt he'd even want to see me."

"Helga! You've been writing to each other constantly-"

"Not constantly, Phoebe."

"-for the last _two years_! Of course he's going to want to see you."

Helga resumed throwing the ball up in the air. "So what? It was nothing. He needed to vent to someone who wasn't in his hometown, so it was kind of defaulted to me. It makes sense. Besides, he hasn't written since he left for the summer." That still kind of stung.

Her first response to his early letters had been a test to see if she had really been over him. She replied to him, a short paragraph saying she was doing well in Kentucky and that she was glad he had found his parents. She wasn't expecting anything back. But, of course, a month later, his response came. The letters became more frequent once he and his family settled in Hillwood and international letter-travel wasn't an issue. Her fears eventually subsided and she found that all she saw Arnold as was just a friend. It had been really nice getting to know Arnold through ink and paper.

It was odd, really. One would think that she would have fallen in love with him all over again, but it hadn't been the case. There was no need to build a shrine or write volumes of poetry in his honor. No behind-the-trash-monologues or elaborate, engraved lockets. It was just…friend Arnold. And while they both had email addresses, they thought it was more fun writing their letters. Getting something in the mail as a kid was always exciting.

"So…I have been thinking of trying contacts."

This sudden, drastic change in topics got Helga's attention. She had mentioned it to Phoebe a few times over the last couple of years, but Phoebe had just brushed it off. It wasn't who she was. Phoebe always wore glasses. Besides, her prescription would be too powerful for contacts. "Really?"

"Yeah, in fact, I'm thinking of starting fresh. Just in time for High School, you know?" Helga sat up on the bed and crossed her legs underneath her.

"Why? I think you look great as you are."

She just rolled her eyes. "Please, Helga. You're my best friend, you're supposed to say stuff like that." Phoebe stood up, her nails completely dry, and opened her closet, on a mission to remove all the clothes that she was tired of. Like this ugly turtle neck and that boring t-shirt. A pile started to grow next to Helga on the bed.

"Yeah right. I may have gotten nicer but that doesn't mean I'm going to lie to you." She thought for a moment. "Well, not lie about anything serious. Like this."

"I'm just tired of the same-old. I think change is good. And isn't today the perfect day to do that?" Four more tops were dumped on the bed. Helga's frown deepened as she looked at the growing stack.

"You sure are getting rid of a lot there, Pheebs. Maybe, uh, you should save some things. You know, since you don't want to go to school naked."

Phoebe turned to her, round-eyed. "That's right! I'll need a new wardrobe! We should go now before it starts to get too late. It's only, what-" she turned to look at the clock, "two-twenty now." Grinning widely, she grabbed Helga's hand and dragged her off the bed.

Helga wanted to protest, but she saw how happy it was making Phoebe. It had been a while since she saw her get really excited over something.

And so that's how she spent the day before school: shopping. At least Phoebe didn't force her to get anything for herself. Helga had never been one for shopping for clothes. And, it was kind of fun seeing Phoebe so happy. She held onto the clothes that Phoebe wanted to try on, trailing behind her as she went from rack to rack. There were only a few complaints, and nothing terribly nagging. Except for the fact that it was almost dinner time and Helga was starting to get hungry.

As Phoebe was paying the cashier, Helga grabbed the three large bags. "Where did you get all of that money anyway?"

"Holidays and allowances. I rarely buy anything so it adds up."

"Yeah, obviously. You know, you could always give me some of that green if it's too much of a burden." Helga grinned jokingly. She would never take money from Phoebe. Besides, she had a shared credit card with her and her dad's name on it in her back pocket. It was only supposed to be used in emergencies, but it was there none-the-less.

"So, Phoebe," Helga continued, as they walked out of the store and towards Phoebe's house. "Isn't your optometrist just a few doors down?"

"Why, yes, Helga. Good memory!" When Phoebe smiled up at her, she was slightly confused to see Helga looking at her with a strange grin. After a moment, it dawned on her. Once again, an excited look crossed her face. "Helga, do you really think I should?"

"I've been saying it for years. And you just said you were thinking about it. If you really want to try it out, why not go for it? We're going to be Freshmen and all. Besides, if you end up not liking them, then you don't wear them."

An hour and one starving stomach later, Helga and Phoebe walked out of the door from the eye doctor. Phoebe was looking at the world for the first time without any frames in the way, and she could see things from her peripheral vision. It was amazing! It took her a few tries to get the darn contacts in, but she eventually got it. As Helga watched Phoebe skip home, her head constantly moving as she took in her new sight, she never really realized just how infectious Phoebe's happiness was. Was Phoebe always this happy and Helga always so miserable not to see it? What a chump she had been.

* * *

They walked to school together. It was a bit of a trek, but Helga wanted to keep up on any exercise that she could and Phoebe just wanted to be with Helga. They talked about what they thought they thought their classes would be like, what Phoebe had heard in terms of rumors through friends' older siblings, and other pointless chatter. They were just happy to be together.

Freshman orientation had been the week before, but it took a few moments to remember exactly where their lockers were. They were on different hallways but they stopped at Phoebe's since Helga had no reason to go to hers. Unlike Helga, Phoebe had all those little locker things that many freshman girls seemed to get so excited over. The shelf, the mirror, the pictures. All stuff Helga could really do without. Sure, she'll probably put up a wrestling poster and maybe an advert for some sort of dance performance in the future. But for now, she didn't even have books to put in it.

They were discussing about the latest episode of _Buffy, the Vampire Slayer_, which Helga had forced Phoebe to get updated on during the summer, as Phoebe was finishing up her locker when they were unexpectedly interrupted.

"Helga!"

Both girls turned at her name. Helga didn't recognize the voice, but she did recognize the head. And hair. Kind of. Short hair fell straight along his face and his hat was missing. Her heart thumped as she stood there, frozen in place. He was so much cuter than he had been in fifth grade.

She straightened her back as she unconsciously did in stressful situations and squared her shoulders. Helga had convinced herself that he had no interest in talking to her anymore now that she was moving back. Him being out of the country for the summer made no difference; he hadn't had any issues with sending her mail while in San Lorenzo.

He stopped when he got to her, his arms instantly around her in a tight hug. She blinked, completely taken aback. What was he doing? Didn't he know that this could set her reeling back to those dark, painfully longing days of her childhood?

She braced herself for the butterflies, the pure bliss, but it didn't come. It felt like Phoebe hugging her. She grinned in relief and hugged him back. She really was over him! "Heya, Football Head."

He pulled back and attempted to give her a semi-annoyed look. "Really?"

She gave him half shrug. "Hey, habits die hard. But it's good to see you. How was Guatemala?" Arnold's last letter was him telling her that he would be accompanying his parents on a three month expedition through the country, trying to replicate various kind of Mayan medicine. Guess eight years being held by a psycho didn't deter the scientists one bit.

"Kind of crazy. Really depressing when we were in town, actually. But we can talk about that later. How are you doing? You look great!" His grin took over his face and she couldn't help but smile back. It had always been so contagious.

"Thanks. So do you, even with this goofy haircut." She flicked his hair for emphasize. He blushed and unconsciously put a hand on the top of his head.

"I thought it was time for a change…" he trailed off. It seemed entering high school was a change for a lot of people. "Sorry I didn't write. We only were in a town with a post office when we first got there and when we left there a couple of days ago."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I figured that a crocodile just ate ya, or somethin'." That seemed smooth.

He chuckled.

"Hi, Arnold." Phoebe had been watching the exchange with some amusement. Helga was certain that she didn't have any feelings for Arnold any more, and Phoebe had to admit that it was a pleasant, albeit unusual sight to see Helga so polite to the boy despite the years of separation, but she didn't think that Helga would be able to last the school year without those feeling coming back.

"Phoebe!" Arnold turned to her and, still grinning, hugged her too. "It's been so long! I feel like I rarely saw you in middle school."

She just smiled back. "Yes, I can't recall having any classes together, Arnold. But it's good to see you too. It looks like you got a lot sun over the summer. Guatemala, I think Helga said?"

"Yeah. My folks and I went down there for a few months, looking for some plants. We've been back a couple of days, but we've all kind of been dead since then," he grinned.

The shrill alarm of the first bell screamed over them. Helga scowled and rubbed her ear. "Criminy, can that thing get any louder?"

"What's your first class, Arnold?" questioned Phoebe. "Helga and I have Biology with Burt in room 101."

"Oh, I think I have that second period. I have Spanish first." He indicated the door a few feet away. "So I'm right here. Maybe I'll see you guys before you leave class."

"Maybe. But the school's not that big. We'll catch'ya later, Football Head."

Grinning down at Phoebe as they walked away, Helga lifted her backpack higher. "Not a thing, Pheebs. It's like there was nothing ever there before."

_But there was something there,_ thought Phoebe. _And even you know that no one ever gets over their first love._


	4. Pizza Face

_SOPHMORE, HIGH SCHOOL_

* * *

"Who do you think you are?"

Helga closed the door to her locker to reveal a very irritated Laura and her two toadys, attempting to look intimidating. "Helga Pataki, naturally. I knew you were dense, but didn't think you were _that_ bad." She fished out her phone from her book bag, ignoring the Sophmore.

"You need to stay away from Arnold. He's dating _me._ He doesn't go after pizza faces like _you_," she smirked.

Helga feigned a gasp. "You mean he wouldn't want to be around me because I have puberty on my chin? Because I don't wear two pounds of cover up like you to cover up my insecurity over the fact that every single kid is going through the same phase?" She placed a hand on her heart and her voice raised a notch in pitch to emphasize her fake feeling of insult.

Helga may have a pizza face, but Laura was totally a fish face. Her head was long and narrow and her eyes were too close together. They were really round and it looked like she was always sucking her lips together from the side, like fish lips. She really didn't know what Arnold saw in her. Was it the full blonde hair? Maybe the space between her ears?

Nah, Arnold liked to get deep too much for airheads. Well, at least he had philosophical topics with his friends. Laura was popular and Arnold was one of the best baseball players on the team and was definitely a rising star on the football team, so she guessed that made sense.

Helga herself was on the baseball team, thankful for a second year. The school hadn't really cared that they lost the softball team, which allowed Helga to be able to try out for baseball, but a lot of parents were bitching about it this year. Which mean that this was probably the last year she'd be able to play. It sucked, but she'd figure something out. Maybe Coach could find a loophole or something.

And if worse came to worse, she would be able to focus more on her dancing. Spring was the only time she didn't participate in dance; it was to focus solely on the game. Sure she practiced, she had to, but there were no competitions for her this season. Not that it was a big deal for her. Yeah she liked to win, but she danced because she loved it, not to win awards like her big sister and when she was a kid. She absently wondered when she outgrew that.

Laura's smirk wavered a moment, not really sure how to make a comeback. Normally girls would cover their face and run off if they had even a hint of a possible pimple and died when it was thrown into their face. "Just stay away from him." She flicked her hair over her shoulder, sauntering off. The toadys smirked at Helga and trailed after her as if those actions were more of an insult than the name-calling.

Rolling her eyes, Helga opened up her game of Snake on her phone as she started for English. She had a high score to beat and had no time to worry about jealous girlfriends. At least this girlfriend wasn't timid like Karen had been. Without looking up, Helga strolled into her next class, lazily dropping her bag to the floor next to her.

She liked the fact that this class was particularly close to her locker, which gave her enough time to play at least a couple of rounds of her obsession. That damn little dot was always out of reach because of that damn tail that would continuously grow as it ate its dot-apple.

And just like that, she failed another round. Fuck!

"If you gave it a rest and came back to it, you'll probably do better."

"Then what excuse would I have to ignore you?" She started another round. Then, "Your girlfriend was hitting on me before class."

"What?"

"Yep. She referred to me as 'pizza face' so I can only imagine that would be a compliment. Since pizza is da bomb and all."

"She called you Pizza Face? Why would she do that?"

Sighing at the early death of this round, she put her phone done and looked up at Arnold. "Because I have pimples, doi. She thought that she could scare me away from hanging out with you."

Arnold didn't look surprised at that which told Helga that Laura had probably badgered him about it at one point or another. Or maybe multiple. "What else did she say?"

"Oh, something about world domination, taking over the White House…I dunno, I wasn't really listening." She stretched her arms over her head, yawning. "Why isn't it lunch yet?"

"I'm sorry she said that to you. She shouldn't be bothering you like that."

"Oh, stop it, Football Head. I hate it when you apologize for something someone else said or did. She's just a typical teenage girl."

Arnold looked at her suspiciously. "Right. Why haven't you made any negative remarks or anything?"

Helga shrugged and put her phone away, knowing that she wouldn't be able to start another round. "It wouldn't make a difference, would it?" She had a whole list of things that she could complain about Laura, but it would only drive Arnold away. When she had complained to him about Karen, he pretty much ignored her for two weeks before he came back around.

That had been early Freshman year and it really didn't bother her too much, but they had grown a lot closer since then. She didn't want to readily admit it, but it would hurt that he would choose a bitch like Laura over her. She may have not been in love with Arnold, but she did consider him a really good friend. So, instead, she just ignored it. They broke up a couple months later.

If Arnold couldn't figure out for himself that she wasn't any good for him, then that was on him. She knew he'd eventually break things off with her. Preferably sooner rather than later because she was getting really annoyed sitting at the same lunch table as her.

"That doesn't really sound like you," he eyed her in mock suspicion. He knew she wouldn't do anything, but she did continuously surprise him. Like with that very un-Helga-like mature response.

She rolled her eyes as the late bell rang. "Turn around. You're bothering me."

"Whatever you say, Helga," Arnold smirked and turned around.

Once the bell rang for lunch, Helga quickly jumped up, not waiting for the teacher to dismiss them. Mrs. Fleury liked her anyway.

Arnold stood and slipped on his jacket. "Hey, Helga, go ahead without me. I have to stop by the library really quick and print out my report for next period."

"Sure. Did you bring your lunch today or want me to pick something up?" She slung her bag on her shoulder, watching him as he put his notebook away. Slow poke.

"I brought it. But if you pick up an extra cookie, I won't complain." He grinned and stood up as Helga rolled her eyes.

"You and those cookies. You're going to get fat on them."

"How can I if you always steal one of them?"

"Hey, it's poison control!" she snapped playfully back at him as she walked out the room. They were the best cookies ever. She didn't know who made them, but they were bigger than her fist and came in a pair, wrapped in saran wrap. Obviously someone made them, because they were too delicious to have been store-bought.

Ah, lunch time! Her favorite class. Today was Jamba Juice day, which meant that she would be getting a delicious Mango-a-Go-Go. It was the only one they served on the campus that didn't have strawberries in it and luckily, she loved it. And that combined with some of those flinger-lickin' chocolate chip cookies always hit the spot. Tuesdays were the best lunch days.

Gerald was already sitting at the table when Helga showed up. She sat next to him, hoping Phoebe would get there soon and sit on the other side of her. She had no interest on being anywhere near that stupid Fish Face. "What'd you bring?"

"Only the best lunch ever. Two pizza Lunchables, rolled up ham and cheese sans bread, some brownies, pop, and a banana."

Helga eyed the buffet as she sipped her smoothie. "Best lunch ever? It looks a little light for you."

Gerald grinned as he spread the pizza sauce on the mini bread. "Well, my mom did give me some of those little pancakes that she makes, but I already ate them."

Helga's eyes grew wide. "You mean the ones with the blueberries in it? I love those!" She smacked him on the arm. "Next time, you better save some for me or I'm really going to pound you."

It had been revealed early on during Helga and Arnold's pen pal days that it had been Gerald who had provided her new address. He had his mom call her mom the night before they left. When confronted by Helga, Miriam hadn't remembered, but it was no surprise. Gerald, of course, had blabbed at some point to Arnold about that afternoon, but she had never told Phoebe. It was never brought up and she figured that Gerald had mentioned it to her years ago.

Although Helga and Gerald had not kept direct contact while she was in Kentucky, they had no problem striking up a friendship when they started school last year.

"What did Gerald do now?" Phoebe sighed and sat next to Helga.

"He ate my pancakes," she pouted, folding her arms.

"They were mine!" Gerald protested.

"Gerald, you know Helga thinks that whatever food you bring belongs to her. So it was definitely wise of you to eat those first."

"Phoebe!"

She just grinned at the irate blonde. "I'm sorry, Helga, but it's true. Maybe if you ask Mrs. Johansson nicely, she'll make you some this weekend for the marathon." Every few months they all got together for a two-day marathon of something. The host chose. Sometimes it was horror movies, other times it was chick flicks. Helga had done wrestling and video games in the recent past. Maybe they would do card and board games next time. This weekend it would be at Gerald's and he was going to educate all of them on the sensual beauty of soul and jazz music. Helga wasn't sure if she should call in sick. But then there was that promise of the blueberry pancakes. How could she bail on that?

"Sure she will," replied Gerald. "Especially if it's for you."

Phoebe looked around Helga at Gerald, her brows frowning in slightly, before back at Helga who sat expressionless, eating her cookie. Phoebe stayed silent and looked back down at her lunch, slowly picking at it.

Matt and Devin walked up then and jumped into their seats on the bench. "So who's ready for practice today?" Matt grinned at Gerald and Helga, his eyes twinkling.

Helga gave him a look. "Why? What's happening?"

"What makes you think anything is happening?" Devin asked, with his mouth full of pizza.

"Just spill it out, already!"

"Well," he continued, swallowing. "Rumor's going around that Miller's been suspended for getting caught making out with - get this! - Jessica Bines!"

Helga couldn't say she was surprised that Jordan Miller got caught making out with anyone, but she was surprised to hear Jessica's name. She looked over at Phoebe, who was staring at Devin in shock. "Really?"

"Yep! Heard it from the horse's mouth," he chomped into another bite of his pizza and grinned.

Helga continued to look at Phoebe. She and Jessica, and the other two Triple Js, had kind of drifted. She didn't doubt it was because of her, but she wasn't going to complain. They were weird. "You OK, Pheebs?"

"Yeah, fine. It's not like she didn't know the rules, right? It's her own fault." Helga frowned at her lack of concern but didn't say anything. Phoebe was obviously in a bad mood and she wasn't going to stand in her way. When Phoebe was in a bad mood, everyone had better watch out.

"Hey, Shortman! Are you ready for practice today?" Excited to tell someone else, Devin caught sight of Arnold making his way up to the table.

"Oh, lay off, Devin. Geeze, you're worse than a hoard of gossipers." Helga flicked some condensation that had been building up on her straw towards her teammate.

"What happened?" As Arnold sat down on the other side of the table, Helga tossed him his set of cookies. "Thanks."

"Miller got caught-hey!" Devin glared at Helga and leaned down to rub his leg. "Don't kick the messenger. I heard it from the horse's mouth!" he repeated.

"I don't think that Miller is quite the kiss-and-tell kind of guy, Monroe." Gerald also was having a hard time believing this particular bit of news.

"What happened?" Arnold asked again, already eating one of the cookies.

"The rumor of the minute is that Miller is going to get suspended for making out with Jessica Bines." Devin snickered at Helga who attempted to kick him again.

"Oh really?" Arnold frowned, taking another bite. He had seen Miller flirting with someone else just yesterday. He didn't think that Miller was such a player. "When did that happen?"

"This morning, during first period," Devin responded matter-of-factly, finishing his pizza. "They skipped and got caught in one of the girl's bathrooms."

"Wait, I have first period with her," piped in Gerald. "She was there the whole time."

Everyone stayed silent for a few moments before Helga burst out laughing. "Geeze, you can't even get your gossip right!"

Devin frowned in complete confusion. "But…"

Helga continued to laugh as Phoebe reached out to pat his arm. "It's ok, Devin. This is why you should find out the facts first or else really bad rumors can start."

"Geeze, you ninny. What horse did you hear that from?"

Devin's face burned red and he mumbled, looking slightly over to Arnold. "Forget about it."

"Uh-huh. Knew that you didn't hear it from 'the horse's mouth'. Sheesh." Helga finished her smoothie and tossed it into the trash can a few feet from their table without standing up.

"Arnold," Phoebe started, "I notice that Laura and her friends aren't here yet. Did she have to stay late in class again today?"

"Well, um…no." Arnold put down his sandwich and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly slightly uncomfortable. "We kind of broke up today." He flinched when everyone's eyes shifted to him. It was silent and he knew they were waiting for an explanation. "Well, you know, it just wasn't working out." He picked up his sandwich and resumed eating as if saying that was the end of the conversation.

But then Devin's hand smacked him on his back, effectively forcing his mouthful down this throat. Arnold coughed and turned to give Devin a 'what-the-hell-was-that-for' look as he tried to regain his breath. "Well it's about damn time! That chick was crazy. She tried to start this rumor about Miller making out with poor Jessica. What a sleaze!"

Helga would have made a comment about Devin's remark, but she kept her eyes fixed on Arnold, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not.

But of course he was. Why wouldn't he be? Had he really broken up with her right after she told him about their run-in? He must have been planning on that for a while. Oh, if she had only known. She would have stuck it to Laura even harder than she had.

It wasn't until practice after school did Helga ask. She was warming up with Arnold, throwing the ball back and forth as they warmed up their arms. "So how did the fish-face take the breakup?"

Arnold frowned a little at that. "Helga, you shouldn't make fun people's faces. Laura did that to you this afternoon and I know you didn't like it."

"Whatever."

He sighed as he caught the ball and shifted feet. "Well of course she was upset-"

Helga interrupted him, laughing. He looked at her oddly. "Geeze, put yourself on a pedestal why don't you."

Arnold rolled his eyes and threw the ball more at her rather than to her. "Fine. She was upset. And that was that."

She caught it. "What, no blubbering? No begging to get back with you?"

Arnold knew that Helga was just trying to lighten to the mood, but he was really ok with it. Laura had been bothering him for a while now and it seemed that every thing she did was annoying.

Her laugh was too high, the constant biting of her pencils grossed him out, she ate too loudly…the list went on. Weekends had become some of his most relaxing days but even those were starting to get too much of Laura. At first he thought she was a nice enough girl, but he had been seeing another side of her he didn't really like. And today with her threatening Helga was really the last straw for him.

Laura hated the fact that he was friends with Helga. It didn't make any sense to him. Why was it OK for him to be friends with Phoebe, since she was in the group too, but not Helga? And it wasn't like he didn't have other friends who were girls, or that Helga was still the ultimate bully like she used to be. Anyone would be lucky to be called a friend by Helga.

Arnold flushed at her comment. "I thought you didn't like gossip."

"Hey, when you start breaking hearts, Arnold-o, I want to hear it!"

He just smiled and shook his head and threw the ball to her one last time before Coach called them over, signaling that warm-ups were over. "When that happens I'm sure you'll be the first to know."


	5. Runaway

_SENIOR, HIGH SCHOOL_

* * *

"What are you doing with my clothes?"

"We're running away."

She laughed and sat on her bed, watching him dump her shirts and pants in her old pink suitcase. How he knew where she kept it, she had no idea. As far as she could remember, any trips they had taken together had not involved him in any of her packing. "You're absurd."

"You're ridiculous," he countered and headed for her dresser, opening the drawer to her underwear. He wavered for a moment, slightly overwhelmed with what he saw, and it gave Helga enough time to leap from her bed and shove him away, slamming the drawer shut.

"And you're a perv! How do you even know where I keep that stuff?"

He gave her a lop-sided smirk. "I'm a guy. I have eyes in the back of my head." He really had no idea and thought he was just going to find more tops. Or socks. Everyone had a drawer dedicated to just socks. Especially full-sized drawers.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him again, further from her unmentionables just in case he decided to go for it again. "Seriously. We're not going anywhere." There was more eye rolling when he folded his arms over his chest. "The only guy I'll run away with is the one who gives me a ring," she joked. Even then she wouldn't. That was stupid.

"Fine, we'll stop at a jewelry store along the way. I'll pick up some Cracker Jacks in the mean time."

"How romantic. Please. Besides, you can't afford what I would accept. And they don't put toys in the boxes anymore. Only tattoos that don't stick and goofy stickers." Helga went back to her suitcase and started to remove her clothes. For such an organized guy, Arnold sure didn't know how to pack well. Didn't he know that in order to get more in there, you had to roll everything up? Not fold, not thrown in carelessly, but rolled purposefully. As she got older, she had to get creative with her packing. Unfortunately, her suitcase didn't grow like her clothes did. This whole thing being a joke didn't matter. He still didn't know how to pack right. "Stop being a baby. You're only going to be gone for the week."

Arnold groaned and flopped face first down onto her bed. He spoke to her, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying. She threw a shirt at his head. "Turn over if you need a response!"

He groaned again and turned his head only enough so that his lips were free from her comforter, not moving his arms. "You're sentencing me to Hell. You don't care about me at all!"

"God, you sound pathetic. It's not like you're going away for Spring Break. This is Ski Week. It's like an extension of Christmas. By default, you _should_ be with family." Grabbing the shirt off of his head, that he had failed to remove, Helga hung it up. Closing her suitcase, she put it in its spot under her bed. "You can't tell me that you're going to deny your mom from visiting her brother."

"Of course not!" He sat up and crossed his legs underneath him. "But why do _I_ have to go?"

She grinned at him and patted his cheek. She loved patronizing him. "Because you're the loveable nephew and cousin, of course. Maybe you'll meet _the _one. I'm sure Arnie could introduce you to some of his friends."

Arnold visibly shuddered and rubbed his hands over his unshaven face. Why was he being subjected to this torture of a family visit when he could be doing something with his friends? It was their senior year and many of them were splitting up, going to different colleges and walks of life. Arnie and his family would always be there.

"Oh, come on, Football Head." Helga sat next to him and patted his knee. "You know you're over-reacting. You'll hate the first day, have a great time the next four, and then be over it by the time you need to head back home. You'll go fishing, hiking, you know...all that _manly_ stuff that those country girls like. You'll make out with a few of them, break a couple of hearts, and then back to city life you go."

Arnold gave her a bored look. "It's not a vacation unless you break at least five." It promptly earned him a smack on his arm. He chuckled and rubbed it. Even though Helga was really petite, she had a mean hand and she had only participated in dance this year. As far as he knew, she wasn't lifting anybody in her routines. So how did she always have such a strong arm? Since they found a new softball coach, she wasn't allowed back on the baseball team. Which super sucked. "You should be coming with me."

She snorted. "And deal with your cousin? No thank you. You'd think he'd have moved on by now, ya know?" Whenever Arnie came to visit, he was always following her around and bugging her. It was to the point where she had to almost completely stay away from the Sunset Arms while the guy was in town. Even Stella with her magical persuasion skills could not keep Arnie away from her. "Besides, Romeo, you know that Danielle will flip a gasket over that. She's tolerant, but not that tolerant."

He sighed in annoyance and laid back down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with his right hand over his chest. Arnold had been dating Danielle for about three months now and she was definitely the most acceptable and approved girlfriend out of everyone he had dated. She wasn't annoying or overbearing. In fact, she was really quiet and was mostly just...there.

It had been mutually agreed long ago that he and Helga were a package deal. If they dated someone, they had to accept that Helga was his best friend. If they were too insecure to deal with that, then they could leave. Helga was non-negotiable. Despite that the whole school knew this, it seemed that every girl in the end thought that _she_ would be the one to split them up, that _she_ would be able to change his mind and make him 'realize' that the only girl in his life was them. Those girls hadn't lasted long. Helga was his sister-in-arms. If she had been blood, it wouldn't have been an issue.

But, then again, Helga always was an intimidating chick. Although he couldn't remember the last time he felt threatened or intimidated by her, she wasn't a bully like she had been as a kid. There was just something about Helga that made people scared or submissive or respectful. No matter what she said or did, just being around people brought out some sort of response from them.

Helga had only dated twice during their high school career, but Arnold had kind of lost count of how many he had been with. Well, dated that is. If he really wanted to know, he knew that he could ask Helga. She always remembered stuff like that. One time, after he broke up with Jenny, Helga had accused him of being a whore.

"_You mean a man whore?" He was laughing at her. She glared._

"_Screw you. A whore is a whore and it's never a good thing. Putting 'man' in front of it is just stupid because it's still the same damn thing. If you weren't so busy dating the entire junior class, you could be focusing on better things. Seriously."_

"_Like your bad movie collection, Pinky?" he joked. "Or maybe trying to figure out how to take over the world?" He rubbed his chin in mock thoughtfulness._

_She had just given him a look. "No, Arnold." He remembered this conversation well because she only used his name was when she was serious. Sure, she used it every now and then, especially if they were in a big group of friends, but she never, ever used it when it was just the two of them hanging out like this particularly afternoon. She had only said it two times before that night and both situations were defining moments in their friendship. "Like figuring out who you are instead of who you think you should be. You're so caught up in this jock..._thing_ that you have going on that you're losing sight of yourself. _

"_The Arnold I know is the one who helps people, the annoyingly, fabulously optimistic schmuck who believes in happily ever after, and who most definitely doesn't enjoy seeing people hurt. I know I joke a lot about it, but there are some times that I don't think I recognize you."_

_Arnold had just shrugged, silent but listening to her intently. Helga never said things to just hear herself talk, and on the rarer occasions of when she did talk about her feelings, she was always sincere. "Maybe this is who I am and didn't know it until now..." he murmured, knowing how weak it sounded. _

"_Oh come off it. Are you trying to prove something to the team? Because, sheesh... You've dated almost twelve different girls this year alone. _Twelve! _Have you slept with all of them?" she had often wondered this but tried not to. She really didn't want to know, but she was really concerned for him. _

_He gave a look, "_No,_ of course not." She out of everyone should know that he would never be like that._

__"Some times I think this is all just a game to you, trying to get more notches on your belt than anyone else in the school. Jenny called me crying asking what she did wrong because she doesn't believe you that you didn't give her enough time to get to know her. You know that I didn't really care for her so I could really care less, but she is kind of right. I mean, you guys were together only like two weeks, right? You can't just say that you want to be someone's boyfriend and then peace out because you don't__ feel_ like being with them anymore. Relationships don't work that way and it's totally un-classy._"

_"Do you really think I'm that shallow?" It was a half joke but when she didn't laugh or smack his arm, he winced anyway. Her silence hurt more than her punches ever did._

_She was right. He knew it, she knew it and there was no trying to go against it. He was trying to fit into a mold. He hadn't really liked it, but this year was different. Girls were falling at his feet and he didn't want to hurt their feelings by saying no. He didn't realize it made him look so bad or that by saying yes and breaking up with them a couple of weeks later was worse for them than just being upfront and saying no to begin with. _

_He didn't date anyone again for almost a year._

"She broke up with me yesterday."

"Really?" Helga was genuinely surprised about that. She thought Danielle was genuinely all about Arnold. "Shame. I liked her. So what did you do?"

He scoffed and turned to look at her. She was at her vanity, putting on her makeup for the evening out. They were all going to the movies tonight before Arnold left with his family in the am. Helga had only recently started wearing makeup out, and rarely did at school. In his opinion, which he had voiced to her many times, she didn't need any of it. But he didn't deny that the way she wore it, it definitely enhanced what attractiveness she already had.

_Natural beauty, _she had called the style. Something about some makeup artist on that new fashion show that Phoebe liked to watch. Carmen? Mindy? He couldn't remember.

"What makes you think I did something?"

"Because you did."

He turned on his side, looking at her in the reflection of the mirror as he held his head up with his hand. "Actually, I didn't this time. She knew that we weren't really that strong together and wouldn't last a long distance relationship next year."

"That's mature of her." Her eyes connected with this in the mirror for a second before focusing back on the mascara. "The first two years of college are supposed to be the party years. It'd do her good to go out and date a bunch of different guys and realize that she messed up leaving you."

He smiled, still watching her. She almost always said that after a breakup. "Yeah. Right."

She turned in her seat to look at him, pulling her hair back in a ponytail. It was always pulled back in some way and she never wore pigtails anymore. "You about ready or do you need to extend this pity party?"

"Ugh," he had momentarily forgotten he was leaving tomorrow. "_Eurotrip_ better be good is all I'm saying. Or it's going to be a really, really bad week."

"Well, doi!" She held out her hand to help him off the bed. "I'm not going to be there so of course it'll suck. But I know you'll make the best of it."

He limply let her pull him up. Hunched over in exaggerated defeat, he followed her out of her room. "California's probably awesome this time of year."

She smiled at him and pushed him gently down the hallway. "Maybe you'll get into UCLA and you'll find out yourself." Arnold had applied to three universities, UCLA being one of them.

Helga herself had only applied to one university: UK. It was what made the most sense. And if she didn't get in, she'd go to community college first and then re-apply.

Phoebe would no doubt be accepted to all the ivy leagues she applied to and Gerald...well, he was kind of being quiet what he was up to and to where he had applied. He was afraid that he would jinx his chances.

They were all going into separate directions; separate lives. Helga knew that they would all stay friends, but they'd have new friends and classes and maybe even jobs. They wouldn't have time for weekly phone calls. There may be an email or two in the beginning, but in the end they'd drift apart. It depressed her to think about it, but it just made sense. Nothing lasted forever. Especially in high school. She refused to think about Arnold not being with her. Phoebe and she had done the separation thing before and survived, and Phoebe had family in Kentucky. There was always the chance that Phoebe would visit her during breaks. But Arnold wouldn't have any reason to visit.

Normally she wouldn't worry about something like that, being how close they were now, but she knew that without her there, he would forget about her. She'd be replaced.

Arnold shut the door to her house behind him and she blinked back the bright sun, jolting her out of her thoughts. "I still say that we should have just ran away."

Helga smiled and shook her head. "You know I would have taken you right to the farm. Even if it was just to see you suffer." She grinned broadly up at him as they walked to the bus stop. He just smirked at her.

No, she wouldn't think about college. Not right now when every minute that passed was one minute closer to their departure. And if there was one thing she knew, every minute counted and she didn't want to take that for granted.

Arnold would be gone for a whole week starting tomorrow. He was probably right. She should have gone with him. So what if Arnie was a pain in the ass? She'd at least be with Arnold. But, no. This was just something she would have to get used to.

"Seriously though, since you're leaving me for a whole freaking week, you get to buy my movie ticket. Since I'm going to be so emotionally distraught and all."

Arnold laughed. "Whatever you say, Helga."


	6. First Kiss

FIRST KISS

AN: "Waterfall" is a drinking game. A group of people sit in a circle, each with a drink. The first person starts to drink and immediately the person to his or her's left or right starts to drink, and then the person next to them starts to drink. Once the last person drinks, the first person stops (either when they want or when their cup is empty). Then the second person can stop drinking, etc. It's like a drinking version of The Wave.

Also, just as a reminder, this is just a collection of jumbled one-shots in non-sequential order. Things are pretty random and may not make sense, but they eventually will be explained.

Thank you to everyone who was read and reviewed/commented thus far! I really appreciate it.

* * *

FRESHMAN, UNIVERSITY

* * *

My feet are on the desk, knowing that they shouldn't be. It's not that I do it because I forget. How can I when I get yelled at every time? I guess I just like getting under her skin.

"The pizza's getting cold!" I yell out the open door of the dorm room, picking at an unsharpened pencil. What was it about girls that could never be somewhere on time? Including their own room.

Muffled voices come down the hallway and a door closes. As the trio walks in, I mumble and toss the pencil in the mug holding various pens. "It's about time."

"_Off_, Football Head!" She smacks my feet hard enough that they fall to the ground. I grin innocently and swivel in the chair, watching as she opens the pizza box and grabs a slice.

"Helga, was that really necessary?" Kristin kisses my cheek and I blink at her with wide, mock-wounded eyes. She just laughs and pecks my lips, knowing I'm not serious, and follows Helga into the pizza box. We have been dating for about a month and she's a really cool chick. Maybe a little too loud sometimes, but she likes a lot of the same things I do and we have the same major. So, obviously, cool chick.

"Whatever." Helga flops, quite literally flops, down onto her bed.

"Where's Tom?" I ask, stretching out my legs and folding my hands behind my head.

Helga's roommate Maggie answers. "He should be here any minute. I'm not sure what's holding him up."

"He had to grab the drinks, doi." Her mouth is full but she answers anyway. The dorms have strict policies about alcohol in the rooms but we're Freshman. We always find a way. I roll my eyes and take a sip of my Yahoo.

"Ettie, you really have zero manners." Helga opens her mouth and shows me her chomped up food. I make a face. Gross. "Sexy."

Maggie giggles as Tom walks in with his bookbag, no doubt holding the beer. He closes the door to the girls' room and sits on the floor in front of Helga who is still sitting on her bed. "Man, that was a close one! The security guard almost stopped me, but I lost him." He proceeds to take out the beer, setting it in the middle of the room. Kristin is sitting across from him, busy stacking the Jenga blocks we're about to play.

I grab my own can and sit next to Kristin on the floor after tossing a coke to Helga. She got heckled at first about not drinking at parties, but she put them in their place fast. For as far back as I could remember, she had always said that she had no interest in drinking. When we first got to UK, I wondered if that would change. Not a chance. I had never seen her take a sip of anything alcoholic and she never drank from any community-shared beverages if for no other reason than the fear of it being spiked. Even though some of our friends couldn't understand the reason for it, I got it.

And I never tried to get her to drink anything either. If she ever became ready to to prove that she was not like her mom, I'd be there to support her; just like how I was doing now by respecting her discomfort in partaking in this particular college pastime. And just the same, she trusts me that I know to stop after two, tops. I would never disrespect her in getting drunk on purpose. At least, I like to think so.

Drunk Jenga is a classic drinking game. It's like regular Jenga except there are things written on each block. Some are mild like 'have you ever had a sex dream' or 'take two sips of a drink of your choice.' Others are a bit more intense, like 'pull the sock off the person to your right with your teeth' or 'chug the person's drink two from your left for three seconds.' We typically don't wear socks during these games and always make sure that our red plastic cups are full.

Kristin, being the youngest, by a day, she always points out, goes first. We have played this game maybe twice before. She pulls one out slowly and reads it, grinning. "Waterfall!" she yells, waving the block in the air. I sigh and grab my drink, as do the others. Here we go, starting early!

We each have gone twice now. There have been three truths, six dares, and only two more drinking blocks. At this point, we're all hoping for the drinking ones. What good is a drinking game when there's no drinking? I pick out my third block. A truth. No such luck.

"Describe your first kiss." I smirk and look over to Helga sitting across from me with veiled eyes. She is giving me a blank look. "Well that's easy. I was in _Romeo and Juliet_ in the fourth grade and we had to kiss on stage."

"Oh, that doesn't count!" Tom throws something at me and I think it's a crust.

I frown, looking for it. "It doesn't?"

"It's true, Arnold." Maggie is pipping in now and I stare at her, slightly confused. Why doesn't that count? "Everyone knows that if you kiss in plays or acting or whatever, it's not really a kiss." Kristin is giggling and I look down at her.

"Yep, they're right."

I scratch the back of my neck, still not quite sure why it doesn't count. A kiss is a kiss, isn't it? "Well, then I guess it was when I was ten and it was on top-"

"No, that doesn't count either!" It's Tom again. I frown.

"It's true, Arnold," Maggie says. Again. "Everyone knows that any kiss before you're a teenager doesn't count."

I roll my eyes. "Oh for Pete's sake. That's not true."

"I think it is." Kristin is giggling. Again. "Otherwise they're just innocent little things and they don't mean anything. It's kind of like kissing your parents. I mean, if you say your first kiss is five and you kiss your parents, wouldn't that be your first kiss?"

I look at her like she's lost her mind. No, that's completely different. But I don't contradict her. I sigh and lean back against my hands. "You guys are picky." I pause for a moment, but I don't really have to think about it. "So then it would have to be when I was fifteen. It was Thanksgiving break and I was at my friend Rhonda's place for a party. Her parents weren't home so she had thrown a Thanksgiving get-together."

"Did she get in trouble?" interrupts my girlfriend. She has a bad habit of doing that, but otherwise she's cool.

"No. Rhonda could have a party whenever she wanted but she threw the biggest ones when they weren't home because she didn't like being alone. Especially on holidays."

"Is she hot? I wouldn't let her be lonely." I roll my eyes at Tom and Helga smacks him in the arm.

"Shove it, geek bait. She's way out of your league." I smirk at her and remember my story.

"Anyway," I continue, "so I'm at her party and this girl that I was crushing on was also there. I kind of follow her around a little bit 'cause Rhonda's house is huge and she disappears. When I asked around, I was told she was in the gardens. So, of course, I go out there. It's November, right? So it's kind of cold and drizzly, and I'm thinking she just needed some air or something."

"I see where this is going." Maggie's grin is wide, but I don't respond. It's doubtful.

"So I'm out there, looking for her, and I hear her walking back up to the house. 'Cause, you know, it's about to rain."

* * *

_My heart is beating hard against my chest as I listen to her footsteps getting closer. It's dark outside _

_and I can't really see anything except for a couple of bushes. Why doesn't Rhonda have the lights on back here? _

_There's a flash of silver from her top and I step around the corner, trying to figure out what I'm going to say to her. _Hey Karen, so I noticed you went missing and the guys said you were out here, so I thought I'd follow you and –_ wow, if that doesn't sound stalkerish, I don't know what does._

_She's close now. My heart beats faster and I struggle to come up with something. _Hey Karen, fancy meeting you out here. _No, that's not right either. _C'mon, Arnold! You can come up with something!

_She's here. She's walking right up to you._ Say something! Do something! Be bold!

_I reach out for her arm and pull her to me. I hear a gasp and then my lips are hard on hers. _What are you doing! _She's tense and I can feel her want to pull back so I relax my grip on her arm._ _My lips are softer now and I can feel the tension slowly ebb. I smile and pull her slightly closer, resting my hand on her waist. I never realized how small she is. She sighs, shooting bolts of electricity throughout my body. Her arms are around my neck and I am grinning.__ The sky open__s__ up suddenly and the rain rushes down, drenching us. But we don't mind and continue to kiss._

_Warmth follows the bolts down me and my other hand is on the back of her bare neck. Wasn't her hair down earlier? I don't really care, I bet she looks beautiful anyway. And this just feels so...right. Perfect._

* * *

Kristin giggles and grabs my hand, forcing me to sit up straight. "Ah, baby, that's just so romantic!"

I grin at her. "Well, it would have been...if it had been who I thought it was." They are silent for a moment before Tom bursts out laughing.

"You kissed the wrong girl!"

Maggie is frowning at me. Told you it wasn't what you thought. "That's really creepy, Arnold. Did she freak out?"

"Oh, yeah." I laugh. "She didn't talk to me for maybe a week. She thought I was her boyfriend, kissing her for the first time."

"That really is kind of creepy. Intense, but total creep-alert." Kristin is still holding onto my hand.

"And you're just now realizing this?" It's Helga, and she's eating another slice of pizza. "Arnold is like...the craziest, creepiest guy ever. You better get used to it and watch him, because he may go off kissing other girls in the rain."

I give her a look as Kristin tightens her hold on my hand. "Stop that, Helga.

"Aw, Meo, she knows I'm just yankin' strings. Don't worry, Kristin. If he does go kissing other girls in the rain, it's going to be because he thinks it's you, so you don't have to think anything of it."

I roll my eyes and wrap my arm around Kristin's shoulders and kiss the top of her head. "No, I think I'm done with any sort of kissing without knowing exactly whose lips they belong to. And yours is the only one I'll take." I grin down at my girlfriend and she is grinning back up at me. I kiss her softly and smile at the noises of disgust from my three friends.

"Ok," I say, grinning widely, looking back at them. "Who's next?"

Maggie squeaks a response and starts figuring out which block she wants to take. I watch her only for a second before looking over at Helga, giving her that hooded-eye look I know irritates her. We connect and she rolls her eyes, giving me that look that is kind of half bored, half irritated. I grin wider, knowing she's thinking the same thing I am.

* * *

_She pulls back then and I open my eyes. "Johnny, that was- ...Arnold!"_

_I pull back from Karen, who's not really Karen, in horror. "Helga? But...you're not Karen...!"_

"_Doi, you stupid Football Head! What do you think you're doing?" She's shrieking and I am stunned. She's smacking me on my chest and I start laughing, unable to contain it. Of _course_ it's Helga._

"_Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I laugh again when she smacks me over the head. It rains harder._

"_What's so funny? Criminy, I'm getting soaked!"_

"_Well, you know, growing up I was always running into you. You were just always _there_. And then you left for three years and now, not even a couple of months later, we're running into each other again."_

_She gives me that look that is all annoyed Helga. "You're a freak, Football Head. You're reading too much into this. You're lucky I don't hate you or Ol' Betsey would be kissing you next." She's glaring and holds up her fist for emphasis before pushing past me with a shove._

_I grin, taking off after her. "Whatever you say Helga."_

* * *

Huh, go figure that Helga would be my first kiss three times. Since the first two didn't count.

"Waterfall!"


	7. Dirty Little Secret

SENIOR, HIGH SCHOOL

* * *

"Hey, Arnold." Without waiting for a reply, Olivia sat next to Arnold on the outside couch. She was drinking from a red cup, acting like she was cool because it was the same type of cups college kids drank alcohol out of, but they all knew it was just punch. Rhonda had a strict no alcohol policy at her parties not because she was a stick-in-the-mud, but because she refused to be sued by some idiot's parents who got a DUI or, worse, ended up killing someone. It was to the point where she hired bouncer dudes to watch over the refreshments after one particular spiking incident. Surprisingly, no one had brought in booze to pour into their own cups.

But, no alcohol allowed. Unless it was a private party among friends. But this was not one of those parties.

"Hey, Olivia, how's it going?" Arnold smiled at the blonde cheerleader. She just giggled.

"Great now that I've found you. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, we got here about twenty minutes ago, I think. So not too long. How was your week?" Olivia had transferred to Hillwood High at the beginning of the second semester last year. She had risen in popularity quickly, no doubt because she had a rockin' body, platinum-bleached hair, and was a rising favorite in the cheer squad.

Helga and Lila, who were sitting across from Arnold on a separate couch, shared a look. Lila leaned over and whispered in Helga's ear. "She's been talking about him non-stop all year. It's ever so annoying." She and Lila were on the cheer squad together and, at first, Lila had taken her under her wing. She knew what it was like to move to a new school in the middle of a year and not know anyone.

Helga rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. She's been coming up to the lunch table almost every day for the last two weeks."

Lila nodded. "Yeah, I've seen that. She's been getting ever so cocky lately. She's even told the squad that she'll be able to get a date out of him by the end of the week."

Helga raised a brow at her. "As in...this week? As in by the end of tonight?"

Lila smiled pleasantly and nodded. "She asked me to help since she knew that Arnold and I have been friends since the fourth grade. And I was ever so thrilled to oblige."

Helga narrowed her eyes at Lila, who simply smirked. Over the years Lila had shown, on multiple occasions, that she could have quite the sneaky and very manipulative streak. And it had never backfired on her, the little brat. Helga had always been in awe with how she did it, having been a victim once before and being completely blindsided by it. Mad props to the little weasel. "What did you do?"

Lila just continued to smile and patted her knee before standing up. "I'm going to see if I can find Emily. See ya guys, later. Bye, Oliva!"

Helga frowned, watching her leave. Great. Sighing, she put her foot up on Arnold's knee across from her and took out her cell phone to check the time. Typically the outside patio was quiet but there were a lot of people out now. It was no doubt because it was one of those rare, warm October nights and the senior and junior classes wanted to soak it up before Winter realized she was almost in season.

"You know, Helga," she looked up at Olivia when she heard her name, noting the snobbery in her voice, "it's really rude to put your _feet_ onto other people."

Helga stared at her before over at Arnold. Here we go. Arnold didn't respond and just blinked at Helga. She frowned at him and his lack of response to her. "You got a problem with my foot on you, Football Head?"

She knew he didn't, which is why it was there in the first place. Besides, she was just wearing sandals. It wasn't like there was that much weight. Like her boots. He was about to respond, now looking at Olivia, but she cut him off.

"And it's extraordinarily rude to call people names!" Olivia's already-high voice pitched higher, taking Helga aback and drawing attention from the nearby kids. Was this chick for real?

"Look here sister, I know that you're still kind of new in town, but-"

Olivia laughed at her, effectively silencing a stunned Helga. "I may be new, but I know all about your dirty little secrets. I know that you've cheated on two midterms your Freshman year and that you stole from the cash register when you worked at Slausen's. And when you got caught, your _daddy_ had to to pay the old man off to keep from suing you." Helga stared at her as if she grew a second head. What the fuck was she talking about? She'd never worked at Slausen's and she hadn't cheated since elementary school. Was she trying to spread rumors? About her? Seriously?

"And I know that you flashed Mr. Roberts to get the lead in the play Sophomore year, too." Olivia was smirking over at her and Helga wanted nothing more than to smash her smug face. That was it!

Helga stood, clenching her fists. "What hell are you talking about?"

Olivia laughed, putting her cup down on the floor next to her. "There's no use denying it."

Helga took a step towards the bitch the same time she noticed a flash of green metallic over her shoulder. Her eyes unconsciously went to the distraction, seeing Lila standing there, her arms folded over chest with one of the largest smirks Helga had ever seen the girl give. She glared at her before scowling back down at Olivia, holding her tongue. Obviously Lila had fed her these lies and knew what the outcome would be. It was the first time that she heard silence and knew that everyone was watching this confrontation intently.

Arnold cleared his throat, trying to break the tension, "Um, Olivia-"

"Arnold, why do you insist on associating yourself with such filth?" He frowned at her, sitting straighter. He knew that Helga hated it when he got in the middle of her problems, but this was directed at him too, and he wouldn't let anyone talk to her like that.

"Olivia, I don't know where you heard those things about Helga, but they're not true."

Olivia trilled, her laughter sending bolts of anger out of Helga. Lies or not, some of these people didn't know her very well and she was willing to bet that they were going to get spread, even if there was no Mr. Roberts that she knew of and that Mrs. Henderson had been the director of the play that year. "I can't believe you're defending her, Arnold. You're such a nice guy, but really there should be limits. I mean, the only reason why she's hanging around _you_ is because she's been in love with you since sixth grade."

Up until that moment, whispers had spread throughout the group, but a pin could be dropped at that revelation. Helga could only stare at the girl in shock as she sat there, smirking up at her with a look of triumph.

There was snickering then, the crowd murmuring. Seniors who knew Helga and Arnold whispered to those who didn't. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could imagine.

Her fists clenched tighter and she saw red. Specifically Olivia's face covered in blood and bruises. But when she turned to Arnold, who was looking at her with a slight turn up of the left side of his lip, she kept herself from striking out.

He stood up when he saw her slightly relax, his eyes unusually wide. "Is that true, Helga?" She gaped at him. Of course he knew it was true! But then she saw it: that oh-so subtle twinkle in his eye and the twitch of a smirk. Fine. She wouldn't beat up the tramp and would play his game.

A large sigh was forced out and she turned from him, clasping her hands together over her heart in a dramatic flow, tossing her loose hair over her shoulder. "Oh, Arnold. I didn't want you to find out this way!" Olivia wavered at the over-theatrical delivery. "But yes, it's true. This eternal flame inside me grows for you with every moment you are near, with every sweet word that passes through your mesmerizing lips. Lips that I crave to taste in the night as I fall into Morpheus' embrace, dreaming of the day that you will hold me in your arms, whispering to me those three words I long to hear."

Lila rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin at the display. Helga. If there was nothing else she was good for, and there was plenty, you could always count on her to be dramatic when it was called for. Or even uncalled for.

Arnold reached out for her, spinning her around to face him, countering Helga's overdramatic proclamation. "Wait no longer, my sweet, fair Juliet, for hear my true words! I, too, have loved you from afar since the sixth year of our education." He grinned at her, taking her hands into his. "Join our hands and with our hands, our hearts. Come! Let us celebrate our requited love."

"Oh, my sweet, adoring Romeo. Yes, let us go into that sweet sunset! The world is our oyster, our playground!"

"To the refreshment table!" Helga had been trying to hold back during their exchanged and couldn't help cracking up as he clenched her hand, dragging her back inside the house. As she was pulled away, she didn't resist smirking over at a completely flabbergasted Olivia.

"Oh, Olivia, I'm ever so sorry. You must have been mistaken. You see, I'm certain that Helga wasn't living here in the sixth grade, and I am most certain that we have never had a Mr. Roberts at Hillwood before. And didn't you know that they have been best friends for years and probably know everything there is to know about each other? I can't imagine that any of those things could be true about Helga."

Olivia's face flamed in fury and embarrassment. "You tricked me. You lied to me!" She was seething and Lila wished that Helga could see her face.

Lila's eyes widened. "I'm ever so sorry that you feel that way, sweetie. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Olivia stared at her for a moment before running back inside, unable to keep face any longer. Rhonda slipped up next to Lila, having seen most of it. "You know, Lila, I always thought you were the sweetest little thing."

Lila smiled at Rhonda and linked arms with her. "I just absolutely adore my friends and hate to see anyone talk bad about them behind their backs. If that makes someone sweet, then that most certainly is me."

Rhonda smiled and shook her head. "Remind me to come to you if I ever need any public display of revenge."

Lila giggled. "Oh, Rhonda. You just said yourself that I'm the sweetest. I would never want anyone to be embarrassed on my behalf."

Rhonda rolled her eyes and steered her friend to a group of juniors chittering about what they had just seen. She may have had no part in Lila's scheme, but she loved the gossip it caused. "No, no! You simply have it all wrong. Helga has never flashed anyone before and she most certainly is not a cheater. But you know, that Olivia Browne is. Why, it was not last week that I caught her looking at my pop quiz in Calculus."

Helga laughed again as the reached the punch table, grabbing a cup. "Oh my god, her face!"

Around laughed with her. "I had no idea you flashed Mr. Roberts to get the lead Sophomore year. In fact, I don't even remember you _being_ in Mr. Roberts' play that year. Or even a Mr. Roberts at all!"

She laughed again and finished the punch, holding it out for the bouncer dude to fill it up. "I have to say I'm kind of impressed. I didn't realize that I had rubbed off on you so much in the theatrics department."

He chuckled. "What can I say? You're very influential." They moved away from the too-crowded table, sipping on their drinks. "So do you really think I have mesmerizing lips?"

She laughed, looking up at him. When had he gotten so tall? "Just roll with it, Football Head." Her name being called from the other side of the room caught her ear and she moved her attention there. Tons of people were hanging around in this particular room and it was super loud, so it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from.

He smiled. "Just in the moment, right?"

She whipped her head back to him, frowning. "What did you say?" What did he say? She frowned deeper, wondering if he had said what she thought he had said and was insinuating something.

They had talked about the whole FTi fiasco a couple of times and she had revealed she had a little crush – ok so she admitted she had loved him as a nine-year-old could – at that time, but they hadn't talked about it in forever. And it had never been referenced before.

In fact, there had been little that they hadn't shared. Of course she didn't reveal _everything_ about her past. She may have written a couple of poems about him, and she may have written it in a little pink book that he had found and been put away in a box in his closet for years, somewhat forgotten until she was helping him purge his stuff one day, but other than that, it was purely childish love.

"I said, it's Phoebe, over to the right." He was speaking louder and pointed over to where Phoebe was waving over to them.

She blinked and shook her head, wondering how she had missed her best gal pal. "Right! Thanks! Hey, do me a favor, would ya? Grab me some more of those bacon-venison bite things that I love?" She grinned. "You're the best!" She left him to grab some of the snacks as she made her way over to Phoebe. Yeesh, maybe she had a little too much punch too fast. Talk about a sugar high.

It was a good thing that she wasn't in love with him, or else that could have been really awkward.

* * *

**AN:**

This chapter is dedicated to "J" who PM'd me wanting to see Helga confronted with loving Arnold as a kid. A lot of chapters have already been written, but many are to be posted later on, so anyone is welcome to make suggestions.

Thanks for reading and for every who has reviewed!


	8. Playing Nurse

SOPHOMORE, UNIVERSITY

* * *

Arnold groaned when Helga kicked open his door, her hands full. A bowl was placed on top of a book, which she carried with one hand, and with the other, a glass of water.

"Go away, Helga."

She snickered and put the glass down on his nightstand, followed by the soup. "Shut up. You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry." His voice was nasally and she tried not to laugh. Arnold had been sitting up, his back resting against the headboard and was wrapped tightly in a thick, pink blanket. His arms were pinned to his lap and chest; he looked absolutely ridiculous. He was even covering his head with the damn thing.

Her dorm had been freezing last winter so it was one of her best purchases for the room. Arnold had swiped it from the closet a week ago because of how awesome it was during these cold nights. At least with how it kept him warm. Although their shared rental house was much warmer than her old dorm, she knew she was going to need it soon. Lucky for him, he'd be getting one for Christmas this year. That is, if he didn't snoop and find it first.

"I don't care. You need to eat. And drink. Otherwise you're never going to get over this."

Arnold had been sick for the last day. And while he rarely got sick, when he did, he morphed into this angry, irritable creature that kind of scared her. The first time he had gotten sick, she had tiptoed around him, trying to avoid him during classes and he had stayed sick for almost a week.

The second time she and his mom locked him in his room and had to force-feed him medicine after four days of a high fever. This time she was nipping it in the bud. Why couldn't he be one of those cute, needy guys when under the weather? At least then she'd be able to manage him.

He narrowed his eyes at her and pulled the blanket tighter around him. "No."

She countered his glare. "If you don't, then I will dump this on your bed and you'll be forced to sleep in wet sheets."

"I don't care," he sniffed. And then coughed. Helga knew threats wouldn't work, but it's what she was good at; at least she could try.

"C'mon, it's good. And homemade. I slaved for over an hour making this, just so you can get better."

"You wasted your time." So much for begging.

She sighed, trying not to get annoyed with him, and pulled at the blanket to get his hands free.

"No!"

She laughed when he tried to bite her, trying not to think that he was serious. The dude was really scary when sick.

"C'mon, Football Head. This is getting old and I'm tired of playing nurse."

"You're the one trying to kill me with your witch's brew, you…witch. With your witch's brew." He groaned and buried his face in the blanket.

She sighed knowing she would have to pull a card that she hoped would work, and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. If you eat, I'll read you my favorite book when I'm sick." Which was never, but the book was very dear to her.

He rolled his eyes, settling back against the headboard. "Some deal."

She raised an eyebrow at him, laying down the hand. "And I'll let you move Caesar into the main room."

Little Caesar was Arnold's Betta fish that he had won at a summer fair a couple of months ago. It had been just after they had moved into this place and Helga had refused to let him stay in the main room. She didn't know why, but the thing gave her the creeps. Probably because it just sat there and stared. It was always watching her.

Although she did have to admit that when Arnold got him a bigger tank, and the poor thing was actually able to move around in its new 1.5 gallon home, he was more cute than creepy.

And because of that, she had been thinking it would be better for him to be out there in the main room anyway. At least things happened out there and he wouldn't be cooped up in Arnold's smelly room.

He frowned at her, still holding the blanket tightly around him. "Really?"

"Yep. But you can't fight me when you have to eat. And no more biting, you freak. I don't want to turn into a zombie like you."

Arnold sniffed again and looked over at his little fish. He loved the little guy and wanted him out in the main room with people. It was lonely in here.

It was the reason why Arnold had picked him up a bigger tank. The tiny bowl that the pet store told him to get was stupid-small. Poor Caesar could barely turn around and his fins were always flat against his red and green body. How could anyone say that Bettas were happy in such a small prison? After the upgrade, Little Caesar seemed to shine and grow a personality. Including spitting rocks from the bottom at the side of the tank until Arnold fed him. Not that he didn't eat twice a day or anything.

Arnold sighed and sat up a bit, admitting defeat. "Fine. But if I throw up because it's disgusting, you're cleaning it up."

She grinned and rested the bowl on his lap. "Deal. But it's not disgusting. If you get sick, it's not because of my cooking."

Arnold brought a spoon to his nose and sniffed it, gaged, and shot her a glare, before bringing it to his mouth. Helga just rolled her eyes at his exaggeration. Grabbing the book, she moved to his other side and sat on his queen-sized bed.

He grumbled gibberish at her and she laughed, watching him for a moment. "Yes, it is good. Yes, it will make you feel better, and yes I am serious about your damn fish."

"Caesar," he corrected, the spoon in his mouth.

"Whatever." Clearing her throat, she leaned back against the headboard. If she wasn't so confident that she wouldn't catch what he had, she would have avoided coming in here. But it had been over two years since she last had the sniffles, let alone been sick.

"_The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette. Annette worked in Paris-"_

"That's not how it starts," Arnold interrupted, staring at her with sick, glassy eyes.

Helga blinked at him, surprised that he had known that. "You've read this before?"

He nodded and looked down at his soup, mumbling, "I stole it from your room junior year. You were always reading it and I was curious."

She continued to stare at him, stunned into momentary silence. "How do you know that?"

He swallowed another spoonful. "Because it was never in the same place on your bookshelf."

Her eyes widened slightly at his observant allegation. It was true. She had read it multiple times a year, every year in high school. Overall school had been fine, but like with every teenager struggling through the transition of puberty into adulthood, there were many times she had felt depressed and fell into a deep funk. _The Princess Bride_ had gotten her through quite a few tough times.

She smiled warmly at him before flipping back to the true beginning of the book. Just when she thought that she knew all there was to know about Arnold Shortman, he plopped something like that in front of her. Arnold had always been a bit dense, but every once in a while he pulled the wool from her eyes and reveal just how untrue that could be. The guy would no doubt always surprise her.

"_This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it…"_


	9. Let's Go to the Mall!

Let's Go To The Mall!

* * *

FRESHMAN, HIGH SCHOOL

* * *

English Lit was her favorite class. The teacher was young and eccentric with bright blue hair and thick glasses but it didn't make her eyes large like they should have. Obviously they were fake and Helga often wondered why she even wore them. Surely not because they were hip. But her hair was blue.

Ms. White was an über liberal. She wasn't really a hippy per se, but she was totally into that free love and crap that her dad hated so much. At least he claimed to. Deep down she knew that he missed that tiny period of time that he wanted to live off the grid, but had his tough-man exterior he needed to shove down people's throats. Particularly his rivals. To his clients he was a changed man, bringing with him that calm the south is supposed to attach to people who stayed there for any period of time. And what wonders Kentucky had done with his figure. Helga personally thought he had gotten fatter.

Which was actually Helga's path in Ms. White's class. Every day they got candy, and not that cheap shit. The good kind. It was always out on her desk and Helga porked out on it like it was water. She just figured she'd work it off in PE and danced harder during rehearsals.

Having candy out all the time wasn't the only thing 'odd' about her fav teacher. They were graded on some really weird spectrum that involved individual creativity or something like that. There were never any seating plans, hardly ever any group projects — which she loved the best since it was English Lit and she always did her best work alone — and she could get away with murder; she was so tightly wrapped around that teacher's finger.

They were studying Shakespeare early that school year, of course: _Taming of the Shrew_. It was different for a freshman lit class, but hey, Helga liked it well enough. That is, if she ignored the modern-era feminist struggle aside. Indeed, for its time, it was leaps and bounds great for women-folk.

Helga was doodling on her cover, hating how bland paper bags were. The only good point of covering school books was the chance to make it uniquely her own. Hearts and rainbows covered this one, with the occasional sugar skull lined here and there. Perhaps this corner could use another one.

She was brought out of her artistic mode when Arnold walked past her, groaning in exaggeration and collapsed in the empty seat behind her, smacking his forehead on the desk. She turned and frowned at him, no longer interested in her would-be sugar skull. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't understand this stupid book at all," he groaned again, his voice slightly muffled from the concealment of the desk.

"What do you mean, you don't understand it? We've been talking about it all week!"

"I've never understood this stuff." Arnold lifted his head only slightly enough to rest his chin on the desk to look up at her with hooded eyes. She suppressed the urge to roll her own eyes.

"Are you kidding me? It's Shakespeare. What's not to get? We read a few plays in freaking fourth grade _a__nd _you were in one of them, _Romeo. _Don't tell me you didn't understand anything you were saying." At his silence, she shook her head in surprise and disappointment. "Pathetic."

He looked up at her with large, hopeful eyes. "You mean you get it?"

"Of course I do." There was a pause for only a moment before she sighed again, knowing exactly where this is going. Once upon a time, she would have been ecstatic over the potential chance to tutor Arnold, to be in the same room as him and sitting close enough that she'd be able to smell his shampoo and clothing softener. But now she was not in love with him. Nope. Not in love.

"Helga, you _have_ to help me!" He grabbed her arm and she gave him a pointed look, slightly startled by the contact. "_Please!_ If I don't get at least a B on the test next week, I don't think I'll be able to pull out of the C I have now for the rest of the semester."

"Fine, fine. Just lay off the goods." She pulled her arm back, scowling. "And it's going to cost you." School had only started about a month ago, and they hadn't exactly hung out that much, with the exception of some lunches. Over the last week he and Gerald had been hanging out with a bunch of other guys from various classes and she had only been seeing him in their shared classes.

She wouldn't exactly call Arnold a friend now, but more than an acquaintance. It was odd and more than a little awkward, especially during times like this when he got too friendly. During their history of exchanging letters, she wouldn't have hesitated giving him that friendship label, but since his mini disappearance over the last summer, combined with the start of high school, he just kind of seemed like a different person. Perhaps she still idolized him in some Helga-way. Maybe she really just liked the idea of 'Arnold,' rather than Arnold himself, just as she had been told over and over again.

"Fine. Can you come over tonight?"

"No, it's Thursday. I have dance every Thursday." She gave him a look as if he should have already known that, knowing that he couldn't have.

"Oh, right." He hadn't known. "How about tomorrow then?"

"Whatever floats your boat, _Romeo_."

* * *

Shakespeare took an hour of their time that Friday night and although Helga felt that Arnold still didn't really hold a grasp on anything, they had been interrupted by his grandmother to re-arrange the furniture in the front room. Then Gertie had ordered pizzas and Mr. Hyunh was watching _The Princess Bride_ on TV. When Helga left that night, she agreed to come back over Monday after school to further help with the Bard of Avon since Arnold was still nervous about the upcoming test.

Within forty-eight hours, Helga had gone from barely talking to the boy who once held her affections to hanging on a regular basis.

They met up three times that week before the exam. Arnold was on his own the Thursday before it and she hoped that he was studying and didn't have too much difficulty. He had picked it up faster than she thought he would during the last few days but it was't like they had watched_ too_ many campy 80s action flicks instead of studying. Maybe they shouldn't have gone on that Stallone spree.

Regardless, Arnold got an A- on that test and Helga briefly wondered just how much of that was because of her helping and what he had known all along. She wouldn't feed too much into that thought and it quickly vanquished.

He would still invite her over, but without the stress of an upcoming test to keep their focus, they more often than not would go to the Arcade or hang out on the roof. It was unusual that Gerald would not be there and, for one obvious reason or another, Phoebe also found herself frequently hanging out with the trio and they became a group of four.

The last few weeks had been an interesting turn of events.

* * *

It was a Saturday afternoon and Helga and Arnold had agreed to meet up with Gerald and Phoebe at the mall after a quick English lesson that morning, even though Helga really didn't think Arnold needed it. It was lunch time, and although the food court would probably be packed by this time, it was their current destination.

"Helga!"

Helga and Arnold turned at her name, looking to see who was calling out to her, expecting it to be someone from school. It was definitely not Phoebe. Perhaps one of her sister's friends?

Whomever she was expecting, it wasn't the woman who was running up to her to be none other than Mai Hyunh. Or, rather, Mai Walker, as was her legal name.

Helga blanched.

"Helga, I'm so glad I ran into you!" She scooped up the teen in a hug before grinning broadly down at her. Helga had never seen her so… gregarious before. "I was going to call you later and here you are!"

It could mean one thing. Helga smiled at the usually-quiet woman. "Marco proposed."

"Yes!" If the grin hadn't convinced her of Mai's excitement, the squeal did.

Arnold was flabbergasted as he watched the exchange, suddenly feeling as if he was in some version of 'The Twilight Zone'. If there had been two any unlikely people to be friends, it was Helga and Mai. "You two know each other?"

Mai turned to him in surprise, having not realized that Helga was with anyone (although why wouldn't she be? What teenager goes to the mall alone?). "Oh, Arnold!" Her serious visage was back up and she offered him a settled smile, before hugging him in greeting but obviously not nearly as affectionate as it had been with Helga just moments ago. "It's been so long. I can't believe how much you've grown since Christmas. How have you been?"

"I'm fine Mai, thank you." He looked between the two, still at a loss. The obligatory greeting over, Mai grinned back at Helga, taking her hands in her own. Mai was shorter than Helga by an inche, but her jubilance made her feel so much larger.

"We're going to Puerto Vallarta. Just immediate family. But I would love it if you can help me."

Helga blanched again. What? Her? Helping with a _wedding_? "Um, sure…Mai. What were you thinking…?"

"It's for the ceremony. We are writing a piece for it and Marco insists that we have some lyrics." Helga breathed slightly out and smiled at her. Lyrics. She could do that. Mai and Marco were accomplished musicians and had met while attending college not too long ago. Obviously Mai had inherited her musical genes from her biological father.

"Of course, Mai. I'd be happy to."

Mai's already-large grin widened even more and she hugged Helga again. "Oh, thank you so much, Helga! You've always been so helpful. You rock!"

"Congratulations on your engagement, Mai. If there's anything you need from us, let us know." Arnold shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable and out of place. By this interaction, Helga and Mai had obviously known each other for some time and seemed to be more than just casual friends. How had he not known that? Mai had always been quiet and withheld during family events when she would stop by, like the major holidays. He couldn't recall ever knowing her to be anything but shy. Obviously he didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

Mai beamed at him. "Thank you, Arnold. Father has always considered you family, so that means a lot coming from you."

Arnold smiled and shrugged. "He is family, and so are you. Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Mai smiled again and shook her head. "Oh, no, thank you. I'm with some girlfriends at the moment and I wouldn't want to impose on your date."

Both teens blushed and held out their hands, sputtering. "It's not a date!" they shouted in unison before lightly laughing in horrified embarrassment.

"We're waiting for some friends too," Arnold provided, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, besides, who goes on a date to the mall?" Helga frowned at the idiotic idea. In fact, who goes on dates their Freshman year of high school? Stupid peers.

Mai smiled at them knowingly; she was a teenager too once. "Of course, please forgive me." She hugged Helga once more, a grin easily taking over again. "I'll give you a call in a couple of days, ok? I'll let you know the direction we're thinking. We haven't really settled on it yet."

"O-ok, Mai. Talk to you later."

"Bye, Arnold! Please do give my best to everyone!" And then just as sudden as she had been there, she was gone, leaving a blushing Helga and an inquisitive Arnold.

Who was staring at her. She turned to him with a scowl.

"What? She's an acquaintance of Olga's, sheesh."

"Acquaintance? She seemed more like a friend. A _good_ friend."

"That's because she is. Doi." She walked away, resuming their trek to the food court.

"So you're friends with one of your sister's acquaintances?"

"Yeah, believe it or not, it can happen. Sheesh. What is this, ask Helga a million questions day?" Arnold narrowed his eyes as he observed her. Obviously she was flustered, but he dropped it as they got into line for lunch.

Helga was fidgeting with her tray, mumbling about what exactly to order. She hadn't been in the mood for cheesesteaks, but it was the first place in the food court that caught her attention. Of course Arnold would follow her. They didn't say anything as they ordered and found a table; it hadn't even occurred to her to wait for Phoebe and Gerald.

Arnold took a sip of his soda, still watching her. The atmosphere was thick and she scowled again. "_What_, Football Head?"

"How come you never mentioned you knew her before?"

Helga let out an exasperated sigh. "Are we still on this topic? Do I need to tell you about _everyone_ I know?"

He shrugged and started to eat, seeing Gerald and Phoebe walking up to them. Helga sighed in relief when they reached the table, a little taken aback that she had forgotten about them, and chugged down her own soda. "What's up guys?"

Gerald dropped his tray with a thud. "Man, I am so looking forward to digging into this, the holiest of pizzas!"

Helga frowned at his so-called slices. "That crap tastes like cardboard."

"That's because you do not have the taste buds of a true pizza connoisseur, Miss Pataki." Helga rolled her eyes and chomped into her sandwich.

"We just ran into Mr. Hyunh's daughter. Helga was just telling me how they met."

Phoebe looked over at Helga, who didn't say anything as her face exploded in red, and instead took another wide chomp of her lunch. She was surprised that Helga had shared that bit of private information and felt proud of her maturity about it, nonetheless. "Isn't it just the greatest thing?" she exclaimed absently, opening up a package of ketchup.

Helga choked on the meat and bread before reaching for her soda for the second time in less than a minute. Three pairs of eyes watched her.

"Is it?" asked Arnold.

Phoebe frowned at him. "Well of course, Arnold. It was one of the most selfless acts that Helga has ever done."

"Phoebe!" Helga coughed out and thumped her chest with her fist, glaring daggers at the girl. Immediately, Phoebe realized that Helga, in fact, had not told Arnold how they had met.

"Oh dear." She looked down at her food, feeling her cheeks heat up. It was about time Arnold found out anyway, but Phoebe still felt absolutely horrible. She had never in her life broken a secret and even though she hadn't exactly admitted this one, she knew that the box had been open. Regardless of how she felt, it wasn't her place to say anything about it.

"Selfless acts?" Arnold frowned in confusion, looking between the two girls before settling on Helga for an explanation.

"Ugh, if you must know, Football Head, we ran into each other on Christmas as she was on her way to meet her dad. Mr. Hyunh, I mean." She stuffed a few fries in her mouth, not really wanting to continue this conversation. "Fo' th' fi'st time since she was a bay-bee."

"Helga, you're being too humble," Phoebe piped back in, surprising herself. She giggled nervously when Helga kicked her foot and dipped her own french fry into the ketchup. "Sorry."

"Helga can be pretty humble," Gerald nodded in agreement, knowing that she never bragged about anything awesome she did. Like save his life being the most kickass.

Helga moaned and covered her red face in her hands. It was no use stuffing herself since Phoebe was just going to blab. "Just drop it already."

"No way." Arnold was not going to let this pass up. He didn't know why but Helga was making a big deal about it and she only made big deals of really stupid stuff or really serious things. "What were you doing out on Christmas that you ran into her?"

He remembered that night well. He and Gerald had spent hours the day before trying to convince that cranky man to do a good deed for his secret santa gift for Mr. Huynh, but the guy had been a complete jerk and refused to help them anymore, even though they had gotten everything else on that dumb list.

Helga dropped her hands and gave him a look. "Are you really asking me that, Football Head? Did you drop your brain on the way over and forget how my parents used to be?"

Arnold gave her a small look back. "No, Helga, I haven't forgotten. But I also know that Mai took a cab to the Boarding House so it wasn't like she was walking down the street."

"Oh." Helga could feel her face warming again and she went back to her food, more to play with it than to eat.

Phoebe shot her a quizzical look and when she just shrugged in response, Phoebe took that as all the permission that she needed and turned back to Arnold and Gerald with a wide grin.

"Helga found out about that city worker, the one who wouldn't help you and Gerald find Mr. Hyunh's daughter, and that he would only help you if you guys found him a pair of the Spumoni boots." Both boys looked at her before back at Phoebe, curiosity getting the better of them.

"She had just gotten a pair from her parents so she gave them to him and they spent the next few hours tracking her down. Helga found Mai and brought her to the boarding house so that you could give him his Secret Santa gift." Phoebe smiled triumphantly, her heart beating fast. That had felt so exhilarating!

Never in a million years would Phoebe have betrayed Helga or let out any of her secrets, so the fact that her best friend had given her permission, in so little words, to spill one of the greatest things Helga had ever done for anyone, Phoebe was consumed with pride and love for the girl sitting next to her. It had pained Phoebe growing up, _knowing_ the real Helga and everything that she had done for 'Ice Cream' while he and the rest of the world were left in the dark. Although she could appreciate the reluctance on Helga's part to hold everything back, they were almost adults now and she thought all parties should be privy to the greatness that was Helga G. Pataki.

Especially now that they were all close friends.

Both Gerald and Arnold's eyes were wide, staring at the once-bully, who was supposed to be all hate and anger at the time that it happened, in shock. No one said anything and their silence was deafening even though they were in the middle of the food court on a Saturday afternoon.

"Mm, mm, mmm, Pataki. You sure are full of surprises." Gerald lifted up his folded pizza and took a large bite.

Emotions ran through Arnold as he stared at his blushing friend doing her best to ignore everyone at the table. Frustration that he had never known this; awe that it was something she had been able to accomplish what he and Gerald together could not; respect, a depth of thankfulness and gratitude that he would never be able to express; and even a bit of anger.

"Helga…that's…you…" He frowned and struggled to find the right words. What could he say? He didn't have the grasp on the English language well enough to make any sort of expression that could remotely come close to how he was feeling. Finding out she was Deep Voice paled in comparison right now. "That's pretty amazing."

"Yeah, well, I'm a pretty amazing person, Football Head," she jeered.

He smiled, brushing off the feeling of déjà vu.

"Don't read too much into, Arnoldo. As much as my family sucked, Christmas was one of the only times we _some_what got along. And so what if I wanted to help another family get together? It's not like that's a crime or anything, sheesh. And Mai's awesome so she deserved to find her bio-dad." She chomped onto one of her fries before pointing it at him, her eyes narrowing but lacking any sort of anger. "And if you as so much as ever throw this back in my face, I'll ruin your life."

He smiled again, not stopping her as she rambled, as she often did when she was uncomfortable. "Whatever you say, Helga."

They all ate in silence for only a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts about what had just transpired. It was broken when Gerald started laughing. "Hey Arnold! Remember that time when you found out that Helga gave up her totally expensive boots so you could give your Christmas gift to Mr. Hyunh?"

Phoebe giggled as Helga let out an exasperated shriek. "Can it, Hair Boy!"

Both Arnold and Gerald laughed as Helga threw a fry at him. She had only threatened Arnold, not him, so of course he was going to use that to his advantage.


	10. Before the Next Teardrop Falls

Before the Next Teardrop Falls

* * *

SOPHMORE, HIGH SCHOOL

* * *

I dated Johnny for two months before he got kicked out of school last year. He put marijuana into cookies during Cooking and someone ratted him out. We haven't stayed in touch.

I wouldn't have really called it 'dating' anyway, other than just hanging out. We barely held hands and never kissed.

For the first eleven years of my life I was ignored by my family. Nothing I did was good enough for them to even to remember that I was there. My father didn't even know my own fucking _name_. It was always Olga this, Olga that. Never Helga. Never _good job Helga_. And never, ever _I love you, Helga_.

Sure, my family got better. My dad remembers my name more often than not and we still do Game Nights. But the l-word is still pretty much taboo in the Pataki household.

Luke was the first to tell me he loved me. He was the first to hold me tightly in his arms and was the first to whisper promises of the future. He made me feel like I was worth something without having to prove anything and just be myself. I felt safe with him and he gave me the attention I didn't realize that I desperately wanted. He seemed to give me the care that I had never received before from any guy and made me feel like I was worth something.

There's a difference between being friends with guys and finding yourself the object of desire. It changes you and even if it wasn't Arnold, something deep in me craved it more than I realized. And I really needed it because I was starting to fall for Arnold again and I couldn't let myself do that. Luke was a fail-safe and said he would always be there. And like a damned fool, I fell for it.

I am not an object and for a wasted bit of time I allowed myself to be someone I'm not. All for fake feelings of splendor and pleasure. I was an idiot. Am an idiot.

The tears I had tried so hard to keep in finally break loose and nothing I do makes them stop.

I ignore them as they fall down my neck. It should itch like crazy, but I don't feel anything. I am numb except for the pain in my chest. It has to be my unbalanced teenage hormones, the same fucking hormones that made me such a simpleton when I first agreed to date Luke, because something like this should not make me hole up in my room, refusing to go to school or show my face in society. I should be over there now, at his place, beating the living shit out of him. I should be unleashing Hell's fury onto that pretty face of his, cutting off protruding body parts and handing them back in a rusty can. But instead I am sitting on my bed, crying into my pillow.

I have experienced heartache before, but this is nothing to what it felt like when I was ten. The entire pain of my childhood dulls in comparison to this. It literally feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest. I have never been so humiliated or felt so absolutely destroyed in my entire life.

For eight months Luke had been there. We had met last year when Gerald and Arnold made it onto the baseball team and our group of four started to merge with a lot of their teammates. We had all hung out in the spring and into summer, but then on Independence Day he asked me out. I didn't want to say yes, I was nervous and afraid, but Phoebe told me I needed to do this. I felt comfortable with Luke and I liked him, and if it didn't work out, it didn't work out. But I would have the experience of 'real' dating and truly letting go.

And it had been great.

We had been happy together. There had been many nights that we had snuck away to over look Hillwood, and shared secrets and dreams; most of them Luke's. We were comfortable. I wanted to believe in us, in our possible future, but most of all I wanted to believe that I could be desired; to be loved. I let my guard down and gave him everything. My virginity. My trust. Two nights ago had changed everything.

My throat clenches tightly and I sob harder. How could he have done this to me? Am I really that horrible that I cannot trust my own fucking boyfriend? Am I cursed?

Logically I know that cannot be. If anyone has seen any 80's teen movie they _know_ that High School is full of betrayal and backstabbing and cheating and drama. But nothing could have prepared me for this.

I vaguely hear something at my window but I don't give it any attention. I am too consumed with necessity to stop crying and telling my heart to stop killing me to pay attention to anything else. But then the window is open and rain is rushing inside.

I turn away and wipe my eyes as the window closes. There is some water on my bed but I ignore it, just like everything else. It doesn't matter. I blink back the tears that distort my vision, but I can only see yellow. I know who has snuck into my room and I wipe my eyes again, biting my lip to keep from crying anew. The small distraction seems to have only been temporary and I want to cry harder now than before.

Without saying anything, Arnold takes off his jacket, dumping it onto his also discarded, sopping shoes. Still silent, he hands me a paper bag and sits on the edge of the bed, his leg underneath him. Why is he here after what he's heard that I've done?

Surely he's heard.

With hands that are not my own, I take it from him, sniffing, and peer inside. It's probably the homework I missed or some sort of other goody-goody, football-headed thing.

Instead, there is a brown, cardboard lid with the magical words _Chunky Monkey_ on the center. I choke out a cough that was meant to be a laugh and look up at him with bleary, red eyes. I do not ask him how he knows because it's the same way how I know his favorite is basic chocolate. No doubt my eyes are puffy and gross, and my nose is runny, and normally I would have been mortified for him to see me like this, but I don't care. It just feels like a nightmare.

He must think that I was out sick today, just like I told Phoebe to tell everyone, because if he had heard about it, he wouldn't be here.

But then he looks at me with that pathos look that is purely Arnold and my stomach is tight.

"Who knows?" Whose voice was _that_? It was tight and quiet and was barely a noise; it couldn't have been mine.

"Just me and Matt." _Just __me and Matt__?_I cannot breathe and feel as if I am going to hyperventilate. They all know then. And he knows.

"He has been..._persuaded_...to keep his mouth shut. And the tape was destroyed." I hear him but I cannot listen. I am crying again and cannot stop. He does not say Luke's name and I am grateful.

Suddenly his arms are around me and I am crying into his chest, but I am not fully aware. My agony is choking me. Why am I crying? I don't love my boyfriend. _Ex_-boyfriend. It is not our inevitable breakup that made me miss school. I weep for the lose of my innocence. Before Luke, I had hope. Now, I am just empty.

He has proven to me what I had feared all along: I am unloveable and unwanted. I am nothing to everybody.

I do not know when I stop crying or how I came to be laying my head on Arnold's lap. I am worn and empty. I am in pain but feel nothing.

"How?" There is no elaboration of the question and I myself am not exactly sure what it is that I am asking. How did they find out? How did he find out? How was Luke 'persuaded?' I don't know.

"A few juniors from Lincoln were up in his room Saturday at the party." I had to be at the dance studio and could not make it. Fresh tears of humiliation fall again, but in silence. At least it's a change.

I could hear the hesitation in his voice and I cringe, fighting the sudden onslaught of hard tears that I _just fucking thought_ were going away. "He brought it out to show them." My hair is plastered to my face but I do not move. Arnold tucks it behind my ear.

His voice is low and his heart is racing. I can hear and feel it, thumping as hard as mine. He shifts but not enough to force me off his lap. "Matt and I walked in." He went quiet and the tears are still falling.

I swallow hard and it is audible.

"He wasn't at school today either. He won't say anything. We made sure of it." It was Matt who had shown up at my house yesterday morning, looking distraught. He hadn't gone into detail, just that Luke had a tape of us having sex and had shown a couple of random guys from the neighboring high school the night before. Bragging.

Impossible. There was no tape. I had laughed at him. He hadn't laughed back.

"I haven't told anyone and neither will Matt; the principal or anyone... But if you want me to, I will."

When I called Luke, confronted him, all I asked was if it was true. He didn't play dumb like I thought he would. "Yes." It had been as simple as that. He had just rattled on about how he was sorry and that it was stupid of him and that it wasn't his fault, that they had forced him to show it to them. Yeah right, forced my ass. I think he may have actually started crying at one point.

He knew I was going to rip him a new asshole, but I didn't. I just hung up. It should have scared him more than any words I could have said.

I want Luke to hurt as much as I am hurting now. I want him to burn for this and I want him to be just as humiliated as I am. I want revenge.

But not by telling the authorities. They will make it public and then everyone will know what I had not known. Not to mention I was just shy of my sixteenth birthday. Who knows what trouble _that _would bring. "No." I clear my throat. It does nothing but create another lump that I try to swallow. "Something else. Not that."

Arnold's fingers are in my hair again. I'm not sure if they had ever left, but I can feel them. "I can put Icy Hot in his jock strap."

I don't know how, but I give curt laugh; if it could actually be called a laugh. It was more like a dying hippo. I sit up then and rub my eyes with the heel of my hand, still miserable and humiliated. But I can hear and feel again so I'm not as bad. "I can't believe you can even look at me right now." It's not just because I haven't showered today. My heart clenches tightly because he _knows_. I don't ask if he saw anything.

"Helga, he's an asshole. And you didn't know. And even if you did, it doesn't matter. What you guys do, or did, should only be between you two." I make a face and wipe my eyes again. He is right but I cannot respond. If I do, it will be a rebuttal and I know he'll call me out on it. I don't want to be wrong. Not right now when I have never been so wrong before.

"I'm going to kill him. Slowly and painfully."

"Wait until I can get you some gloves. You don't want to leave any fingerprints and I'm sure you'll be the first suspect. Actually, maybe I'll do it instead."

I slightly laugh again but there is little humor. I take a deep breath push back my hair. "Thank you, Arnold. You didn't have to do...all that you did."

"Yeah I did." I do not press and I wonder again what happened that I don't know about, but I'll ask him another time. "Besides, I know you like _Chunky Monkey_. And what makes anyone feel better than ice cream?"

I blink and then look down at the bag still on my lap, acutely aware of the irony, that hidden meaning he will never know. Yes, ice cream makes people feel better with its magical ingredients...so full of optimism and sanguineness.

"Yeah." I force a smile. "You're right."

He gives me a lop-sided grin, obviously accepting my fake amusement and takes the bag back. As I watch him take the carton out and open it, I try not to think about tomorrow. I will go to school and hold my head high and trust that Arnold is right and that no one else knows about it. Or will ever know. That this tape really has been destroyed and that Luke won't say anything.

I frown. Trust Arnold? Yes, we are friends but that was it. Luke and I had been much more than that. There had never been a 'Helga and Arnold', but there had been a 'Helga and Luke'. How can I trust Arnold when I couldn't Luke?

I keep from hitting myself. What a stupid question. If anyone was trustworthy, it was Mr. Positive himself. And I have never fully trusted him before. I flinch at the realization.

I didn't trust him with my secret as a kid. I didn't trust his friendship or his letters when they first arrived when I was in Kentucky. I didn't trust his judgement when he told me he didn't really like Luke's attitude. I had never truly trusted him, but he had always trusted me.

Just like true Football Head fashion, he took it upon himself to help me. It startles me to realize this, but I believe him when he says no one will know and that Luke won't say anything.

If I had trusted him from the beginning, how different would things be?

Before I know it, he's shoving the pint into my hand with a spoon he brought and I give him a genuine smile. I don't want to eat anything, but who can say no to Ice Cream?


	11. Romeo & Juliet

FRESHMAN, UNIVERSITY

* * *

They were at a party the first weekend of January but no one really knew what the celebration exactly was for. Not that college students ever really needed a reason. Some thought it was for New Year's, some thought it was for the new semester coming up, and yet another thought it was for someone's birthday. Helga and Arnold could care less.

Most of their friends hadn't gotten back in yet from their various homes throughout the country and state, but they had gotten hella cheap tickets to fly back slightly early so why not? It would mean they could unwind a bit before getting back into the swing of college. In other words, party a bit and turn in those late books to the library.

They had been at the local's house for a couple of hours now and things were definitely in full swing. A group of guys were screaming at each other over their game of pool and Helga had seen two separate couples making out. Frankly, she was getting a little tired of this scene. Maybe she couldn't fully appreciate it because she was never blitzed off her ass, but she found the whole thing kind of repetitive and annoying.

Fortunately, Arnold had decided not to drink tonight. Not that she really cared, it was his life after all. Actually, that was a lie. She did care but he never drank more than one or two cups or bottles or cans or whatever the hell they were serving. And it was always nice to not be the only sober one.

Currently they were playing beer pong with a couple of girls. And they sucked ass. Either that or they were pretending to. It was actually kind of pathetic how obvious they were attempting to flirt with Arnold and how much it was going right over his head.

Why did girls always have to do that anyway? Act dumb? Only assholes were attracted to that and Arnold was definitely not an asshole.

Ironically, as she mulled over it, one of the girls landed the ball in their end. "Woo!" they screeched. Helga suppressed a groan as Arnold praised them and took a deep chug of her soda. She belched and tossed the can into one of the larger garbage bins, very obvious of and ignoring the stares she got from the woo chicks. She had no reason to impress them with her manners and, naturally, dropped all pretense to irk them further. It was ok for them to act stupid so why couldn't she let loose a little?

Ok, maybe a lot. "Well, Meo, I'm out. Go grab us another set and I'll shoot first."

"No problem. Same kind?"

"If it's available, sure." As Arnold walked off, Helga washed off the ping pong, fully aware of the girls unyielding stares, and could just imagine what they were thinking. Probably that she was a skank and un-lady like or some crap like that. In fact, any minute now they were going to tell her that to her face as if it was something she didn't know herself. Women always tried to put each other down by going right for their supposed weak spot: confidence. Too bad for them that she didn't go to school to pick up guys and was actually there for an education.

Helga snickered and aimed. Toss. Swoosh.

One of the girls, Kristin, she thought her name was, dug out the ball and cleaned it, starting to sip the beer. "So Helga." Yep, here it came. Helga barely resisted to roll her eyes. "How long have you and Arnold been dating?"

Well, that was a different question. Lifting an eyebrow over towards the other freshman, Helga leaned into her hand that was resting on the table. "What makes you think we're dating, toots?"

The girls shared a look before resting their attention back onto Helga. Wait. What was _that_ look for? "You're not…? You just look awfully comfortable with each other, is all. And I don't think I've ever heard any girl refer to just a friend as 'mine' before." If it wasn't for the genuinely confused look on the girl's face, Helga would have instantly been on the defense.

Instead, she frowned. "Excuse me?"

The girl shifted under Helga's scowl. "I'm sorry, I thought you were saying _mio_ all night." At Helga's blank frown, she continued, "which is 'mine' in Italian. I'm taking Italian so that's how I know. I guess I misunderstood." The last words were mumbled into her cup but Helga had still caught them.

Helga could only stare at her before busting out in laughter. Her Beer Pong rivals stared at her with a mixture of uncertainty and slight fear. Was this chick literally crazy?

Arnold walked up to the table then, carrying a six-pack of yahoos. Thinking that Helga was actually getting along with the two girls, he approached with a hopeful grin. Even though Helga had made some friends earlier in the school year, he was always hoping she'd show what an amazing person she was to more people. "What'd I miss?"

Helga pushed her long ponytail back over her shoulder that had fallen during her laughing fit. "Oh, that's hilarious, Christine."

"It's Kristin, actually-"

"Whatever. And _oh hell_ no, I wasn't saying 'mine'. It's just a nickname. Arnold's a playboy and it just kind of evolved. We've been friends for years. Your turn, Caroline." So it was childish, but one thing she still loved to do to get under people's skin was call them by the wrong name.

Arnold flushed a little and gave a small, nervous grin towards their temporary foes. "I'm not, actually. Helga tends to exaggerate things."

Kristin giggled lightly at the smile as she tossed the Ping Pong and, just like every other time, pouts when it doesn't go in.

"That's ok, Kristin," Arnold started as Helga chased after it, "I'm sure you'll get it in next time." He flashed her a grin and both girls giggle.

"You're really sweet, Arnold. It's really refreshing, ya know… I was beginning to think that every guy here was just a two-timing, arrogant jerk."

Helga caught the last bit of the conversation as she walked up and handed the ball to Arnold to clean it off. "Ha! Arnoldo here is the biggest sap at the school. He's won so many freaking Golden Boy awards that his closet at home is overflowing."

Arnold sighed in obvious, joking exasperation as he prepared the shot. "Ettie, what did I tell you about going through my stuff? Some of those are made of pure gold and your negativity can melt it." He grinned at Kristin and winked before tossing the ball…and missed when Helga elbowed him in his ribs. "Hey! Great team work!" Arnold scoffed, rubbing his side.

Kristin giggled. "It's so cute that you guys have nicknames for each other and you're not even dating. It's like my big brother and me. I was…like maybe four when I first skinned my knee this one time and Cha-wee, that's my brother and his name isn't really Cha-wee, it's Charlie but that's what I still call him even today, and he calls me TK because it's short for tough knees. Because, ya know, that's what I have since I've skinned them so many times," Kristin finished with a giggle and a bright grin.

Helga stared at her with wide, somewhat disbelieving eyes. Was this chick for real? She could think of _so _many remarks about 'skinned knees' but knew that Arnold wouldn't appreciate the sexual innuendos to an obviously sweet, innocent girl. Helga grinned sarcastically, which obviously went over the girl's head. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"So…like, how did mio-not-meaning-mine come up?"

Arnold, knowing that Helga didn't really like to talk about it to strangers, shrugged it off with a smile. "It's a long story." Kristin giggled. Again.

Helga rolled her eyes. Sheesh, where did these chicks come from? Arnold would _never_ go for someone like this!

Of course, he had to go and prove her wrong two days later when he took her out to lunch. And then a dinner and a movie. Ugh, she was annoying. The only good thing that came from their relationship was Drunk Jenga.

Fortunately, "_TK" _did calm down after a couple of weeks of them dating. Otherwise Helga knew she would have had to do something about that stupid giggle. 

* * *

HIGH SCHOOL

* * *

Arnold blushed deeply and waved back to Karen, not even fighting the bubbly feeling of excitement in his stomach. Unbeknownst to him, though, a large grin was plastered on his face when he turned to look back over to Helga, who was giving him _that_ look. Obviously she was annoyed. "What?"

"If you're done flirting with half the school, I would _love_ to get back to our project, Arnoldo."

Arnold flushed even more and mumbled, "not half the school…"

Helga rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Romeo."

* * *

Helga ignored the constant poking on her spine. Reading about chemical balancing was totally, way more fun.

"Pst!"

Her eye twitched in sync with the poking. If she ignored him long enough, he'd stop. Just like an annoying puppy that wanted to play when you were too busy to give it any attention: pretend it wasn't there.

Poke. "Pst!" Poke. Poke.

The pencil in her hand snapped and she held her breath._ One, two…_ When she counted to five, she realized he had stopped poking her. Smiling in triumph, she sat a bit straighter and refocused on her textbook. If she knew that Arnold would be so annoying, she would never have sat in front of him. After a year of hanging out with him in their high school career, she thought she had known him better than she did. Fat chance of that.

When a piece of paper flew over her shoulder and landed on her book, she growled softly. God dammit!

She didn't have to open it to know what was inside and she had little interest in responding. Instead, she threw it back over her shoulder, hoping it hit him in his face. A few seconds later, it was back on her book. Helga just ignored it.

Five minutes later, another one flew over her shoulder. Growling again and knowing that she wasn't going to get any work done, she didn't spare a glance to their teacher as she opened up the first note. Hopefully she would get caught and then hopefully the teacher would read the note aloud and embarrass the love-struck football head. That'll show him.

_What did they say?_

_Dude, you didn't write anything!_

The second sentence was obviously added when she had thrown it back at him. The question had a stupid, crooked smiley face after the question mark. Arnold could never get those stupid faces right.

Although she was loathed to admit it, she was taken aback that he hadn't asked about his latest interest in the female sex as she had originally thought that the notes were going to ask about. She had the unfortunate lot of sharing History with her. More than once Helga had to snap at Arnold to back off from annoying her with his obnoxious need of constant questions. She wasn't going to play wingman to his love life.

The second note was just pathetic.

_Plllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssseeeeeeee!_

Grumbling to herself, she flipped his second note over to respond.

_**Have you always been so annoying? Of course they said yes. Like they ever say no**_**.**

Again, she didn't bother looking over at him as she tossed it over her shoulder. She didn't know why she was surprised to see another fly back over shortly after.

_That's great! Gerald's dad said he can drive us. I'm glad you changed your mind about camping. I know you're not too much of a fan._

_**Whatever, Arnoldo. As long as I don't have to save your sorry ass from any mountain lions. And stay away from the bushes this time…I still can't believe you got poison ivy last time! Dumbass. **_

_The lady doth complain too much, ya know._

Helga snickered. _**It's 'the lady doth **__**protest**__** too much, methinks.' Stick with what you know, Football Head. Like daydreaming and baseball. Preferably daydreaming while playing baseball. Maybe you'll get knocked in the head and I can finally get some work done in class.**_

_Peace, peace,_Helga_, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing._

She couldn't help but grin at his comeback. She was kind of impressed that he remembered that line, as it wasn't a too popular one from _Romeo and Juliet_. Arnold tended to have a selective memory and she was under the impression that he didn't remember much of anything from that play.

She didn't respond back and rolled her eyes when another note landed on her book.

* * *

"Oh come off it, Romeo. You know that you like the attention."

"Shows just how much you know, _Juliet_." If she didn't know better, she would have taken that as an insult. Instead, she raised an eyebrow towards him.

"Excuse me?"

Arnold just grinned widely at her. "You're excused."

Helga huffed and pushed him, hoping she'd knock him off of the bench. "Whatever, Football Head. You couldn't go a day not getting a compliment from a chick than I could go a day without taking a dump."

Everyone at the lunch table groaned. "Helga, must you be so crude?" Even Phoebe suddenly lost her appetite.

Helga shrugged and took a bite of her salami sandwich, answering while she chewed. "Probably, but I don't feel like it. And stop calling me 'Juliet', Football Head."

He blinked innocently at her. "What? It's only fair. I barely remember doing that show yet you keep bringing it up."

Helga would have scoffed if she wasn't swallowing and tried to ignore the slight pang in her stomach from his comment. She knew that he didn't really remember it, but it still hurt a little bit with the confirmation of it. Not that it really should matter. It meant more to her for reasons that don't even exist anymore.

"I call you that because you keep thinking with your dick instead of your head, dummy."

Arnold flushed a deep red and she couldn't help but snicker. "You really are crude, Helga."

"Whatever, Football Head. I'm sure you guys say way worse things in the locker room." She doubted it. "But hey. Puberty."

* * *

"Dammit, Romeo, keep your eyes on the road!"

They were on the back roads of town and Helga was attempting to teach the boy to drive a car. Helga's dad had taught her to drive when she was fourteen and even though Arnold's grandpa still had his license, he felt more comfortable asking his best friend. The one _without_ the license.

Helga was quickly realizing this was a fatal mistake. A pretty blonde had been walking into the general store and Arnold's natural reaction was to stare at her instead of where he was going. An over compensated jerk of the wheel sent them flying into the other lane. By some piece of luck, the only car they had seen going the opposite direction had long since passed.

Once they were back on the right side of the road, Helga shot him a pissed off look. "What the hell, Arnold! You're supposed to be driving, not picking up chicks!"

At least he had the decency to blush. She couldn't remember the last time Arnold's face had been _that_ bright red though. It put to shame that one time she had walked in on him while he had been changing and he had been standing there in nothing but boxers and glorious teenage muscle.

"I thought I recognized her from a long time ago," was his pitiful excuse. He had thought Hilda had just been a figment of his imagination, but when he saw that girl wearing the high ponytail in the pink summer dress walking into the store, he immediately thought of her. Too bad he forgot he had been driving.

Helga made a noise of disgust and continued to glare at him. "I would like to live to see my sixteenth birthday, Football Head. Don't make me come back to haunt you."

He flashed her a nervous grin, still incredibly red.

* * *

Looking at the Caller ID, she answered the phone. "Yo, yo, Romeo."

His deep voice chuckled lazily on the other side of the line, immediately letting her know that he had just woken up. He only laughed like that when he was groggy. Not that it was creepy or anything that she knew that. "If Juliet is the east, then who's the west?"

"Elphaba, doi."

Helga grinned when she could practically feel his disdain over the phone. She had somehow come across the book last year and then forced him to read it after she finished it. She knew he wouldn't like it, with him liking rainbows and fairies and all that lovey-dovey crap, but she was never one to back down from stretching his limitations.

"She died, you know."

"No, actually, I don't. That's just what they _want_ you to think. She's most definitely still alive and the sequel will prove it."

"Helga, Wicked was published six years ago. He would have written a sequel by now if he had any interest in doing it."

"Good things come to those who wait!"

"Too bad Romeo didn't think that way."

"Oooh, burn."

* * *

"Hey, Juliet, what are you doing tonight?"

"Watching RAW, doi. You want to come over?"

"Sure. I'll pick up some pies. Extra sausage?"

"You know it."

Arnold snickered and hung up, knowing better than to comment on her love of sausages.

* * *

"God dammit, _no_! No, no, no! Now leave me alone!"

Arnold didn't reply and instead just grinned at her. She always had this extra glow about her when she got riled up. At least, only when _he_ got her mad. When it was someone else, she was just plain scary. When he got her pissed, she looked like a goddess of wrath. He could always get away with so much with her.

"C'mon, _Jules_. You know you want to."

"Ugh, _please_ do not call me that. I feel like a stripper when you say that," she shot him a glare, effectively stopping any comment he would have made. "Don't you _dare_ say a damn word."

He shrugged, smirking, and picked up one of her books without looking at the title. It was probably some poetry anthology or whatever. Arnold leaned back on her bed, resting his head on one of her pillows and flipped through the book without reading a word. She went back to her paper and Arnold eyed her, feeling the artificial tension growing. His grin widened and prepared himself for a violent reaction by tightening his grip on the box he held, ready to use it as a shield. "Got any pasties then, _Jules_?"

She shrieked and threw her textbook at him.

* * *

It was Thanksgiving break and Helga was stuck in bed, still mostly knocked out from the stupid gas they had used on her before taking out her wisdom teeth. She had put up a fuss at first about it, distinctly remembering the last time she had used laughing gas at the dentist, but had eventually caved in. This time, she didn't have any secrets to hide and they were going to knock her completely out, not just make her go numb.

It was the sound of her window closing behind her that woke her. It was still light outside so she had to squint at the figure, even if there was only one person who ever came in that way. "Rrr'meo? Dat oo?"

Arnold snickered and pulled up a chair, bringing it over to her side of the bed. "You look and sound like shit."

Helga groaned and brought her hand to her still-numb face. "I 'ate oo."

"Aw, but fear not, fair Juliet. Because I, your ever faithful Romeo, have brought you your very own frozen concoction called a 'smoothie'. With a spoon, of course!"

As if on cue, her stomach rumbled violently and she wondered exactly what time it was. For that matter, she wondered when she got home. She vaguely remembered telling her dad that they needed to go back to the dentist because they hadn't done the operation yet – yikes, how embarrassing was that – but she didn't remember anything other than that. Sighing, she attempted to sit up. And failed.

Arnold helped by magically producing a pillow and stuffing it behind her back. She blinked, more awake now. "Danks."

He flashed her a grin and showed her the drink. "I'll take that as a sign that you're hungry. Can you lift your arm?"

She grunted and reached for the spoon and drink. Arnold tucked it onto her lap and removed the lid, watching to make sure she didn't drop the spoon. When she made it to her mouth, she gave him an appreciative groan. "Danks, 'Meo. Dis iiiiis goooooooo'. Ddd."

Arnold fought back a laugh at her lack of pronunciation and instead leaned back in his chair, deciding that he could very easily mock her without worrying about some flying object being hurled his way. "Any time, _Oo-lee-ette_."

Helga pouted and this time he couldn't help but laugh. She never pouted and he couldn't help but think she looked oddly cute. " 'At's how oo say it…"

He nodded in agreement. "You're right. That is how you say it."

She blinked at him after taking another bite of the smoothie. She pouted again. "I 'ean not… Stop makin' fun o' me!"

His response was his continuing grin. "Fine, I'll stop. _'Ette._"

* * *

Junior year was over. They were almost done, but she couldn't taste it just yet.

During the summer before, they had decided to watch the sun rise on the first day of Junior year and then set on the last day. They'd do it for Senior year too. Helga had to literally drag him out of bed for the sunrise even though it had been his stupid idea. The sunset had been much easier to get him on his roof.

"Hey Meo?"

"Hmm."

"Have you thought about what will happen after we graduate university?"

Arnold blinked for a moment before grinning over at her. "Only you would be thinking that far ahead."

She scoffed and stretched out her legs in front of her and rested on her hands behind her. "I'm serious. I mean, I'm definitely going straight to college after high school. But then once we graduate, we're going to be in the real world and have to do real world stuff. I think I want to travel first. See the world. I'm afraid that I'll never see it if I go straight into the work force."

Arnold didn't immediately respond, still looking up at the increasingly darkening sky. He hadn't given any thought to life outside of school. Sure he had dreams, but nothing was really solid and nothing was really serious. To be honest with himself, he was nervous about what would happen after their senior year. There had already been so many changes in his life by staying put. What changes would happen when everyone moved away? Would he lose all his friends? College was supposed to be an exciting time for them, but it freaked him out. Yeah, he wanted to pursue something in archaeology, but sometimes he wished he didn't need to grow up.

"I really don't know, Helga. I know that we've talked about what we want to do, but that's really all I've thought about. I guess I'm going to have to go to grad school. I think it takes something like eight years to complete, so who knows?"

Helga nodded. Of course it would take that long, if not longer. Archaeology wasn't really an in-and-out degree. Ever since his parents returned home, he had decided he wanted to do something in that field. He just hadn't decided on his focus.

"Have you even thought about where you want to go to college?"

Arnold just shrugged.

"Don't you get in for free if you go to HCU? Since your parents work there and everything?"

He shrugged again and she didn't press the issue. They were silent for several minutes, Arnold lost in thought about college and the life he would lead afterwards, and Helga about Arnold. She already knew that she was going to go to UK. The University of Kentucky was officially in her blood and it was just a no brainer. Arnold, though, was just a lost kitten. She didn't know why he wasn't bragging about being able to go to HCU for free, not that it was really in his nature to do so, but she thought it would just be a done deal.

She tried not to think of it much, though, because it pained her when she did. The thought of Arnold not being a few blocks away really sucked. They really were inseparable and even if there was still a year away, and so much could happen from then and now, she hated the thought that they wouldn't be together after that. But it was too early to think about that.

"Ettie?"

"What?"

"Where do you want to travel to?"

Helga shrugged. "I don't know. Don't really care, really. I just want to get out of here."

"You don't like Hillwood?"

"I don't mean it like that. I guess…" she sighed and trailed off, not really knowing what she was saying. It wasn't that she didn't like living in Hillwood, it's just that it's such a small piece of the world.

When she could feel Arnold looking at her, she laid back onto the blanket and rested her head next to his. "I haven't thought _that_ far into the future. I just know that I would like to go swim in the waters in Fiji and go to the museums in Florence. I want to see ghosts in Savannah, see the painted sunsets of Santorini and get real pearls from Mallorca. And I don't even_ like_ jewelry!"

Arnold nodded, showing her that he had been listening. "That sounds like stuff you would like. Why do you want to wait until after college?"

"You're supposed to meet interesting people in college. I'm hoping I'll get some rich guy to fall in love with me and I can travel on his dime." There was a beat of silence and Helga could feel the sudden tension in the air. She turned and grinned at him, wondering where that came from, and poked his forehead. "You know I'm just kidding."

"Sure you are," he smirked, ignoring how his stomach had suddenly flipped at the thought. "Well, maybe I'll join you. You know, in case you need some protection."

Helga laughed and Arnold didn't fight his grin. "Oh, please, Football Head. You'll be the one who'll need protection. But if you want to tag along, that's fine with me. Maybe we could get some free upgrades and food from lonely old widows."

He frowned at her. "So you'll just want me to come along so you can be my pimp."

Helga laughed again. "That's right. So you better keep working out. You'll need to be extra ripped by then."

"If I'm extra ripped, then why would you need to protect me?"

She snorted in response. "Please. You? In a fight? You'd hit someone and then feel so incredibly guilty you'd give them all of our money so they could go to the hospital."

"Nah, I'd at least keep some for dinner that night. Can't leave the widows all alone for dinner, after all."

Helga laughed again as they trailed off, talking about exaggerated plans of European travels. It wasn't long before the sky was completely dark and when they saw the first falling star of the night, they both made a similar, private wish that this wasn't just talk and that, indeed, after high school they wouldn't drift apart as Arnold feared they would.

"Friends forever, right?"

"Forever and a day, Meo."


End file.
